The Bitter Reaper
by joker32223
Summary: Seth Ryabushi has always been bullied. His mismatched eyes and foreign name have always been a huge target for bullies, and he's too scared to fight back. When he gets trapped in Sword Art Online, his mind cracks, and he forces himself to become someone stronger. He becomes...The Grim Reaper.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I stared at the clock, desperately willing for it to move faster. 5 minutes left now. I felt something in my eye, and dragged said eyes away from the clock to check the mirror. Left eye, sapphire blue, right eye, blood red. Nope, normal. Most people might feel some alarm at their eye being red, but not me. I was born with a rare medical condition (That's what they said it was, to me. I heard them later call it a mutation) that turned my iris blood red. Naturally, kids were cruel, and that mistake that I couldn't control followed me from the children's playground to the high school cafeteria.

My eyes flicked back to the clock. 3 minutes. I was so excited, my nerves twitching now and then from the random energy spikes travelling through my body. My father knocked on my door. "Seth?" he asked. I live in the middle of Japan, and both my originally American parents decided to name me Seth. They said it made me sound exotic, even though they had their last name changed to a Japanese one. My father even assumed a Japanese pen name when he wrote for the magazine he worked at. The other kids said my name made me sound stupid, and that my white skin would shine in the dark.

"Yeah, dad?" I asked, my eyes still glued to the clock.

"I need you to take out the trash."

"Dad, the game's about to start! I'll do it tonight, the truck doesn't come 'till tomorrow."

"Alright, son. I'll come and get you in a few hours, but then you're gonna get the trash."

"Fine, dad." 1 minute left. I slipped on the NerveGear, plugging it into my computer, lying back on my bed, and keeping my eyes glued to the clock in the corner of the display. 12:59…12:59…12:59…1:00. "Link Start!"

The game loaded up around me, and I felt the familiar weight of my scythe on my back. I tugged it out of its sheath, but it wasn't the same one I'd had during the beta test. A pity, but fair, I suppose. The one I'd had would have torn through the first floor mobs faster than you could blink. The rest of the 10,000 players formed around me. I twirled my scythe in a circle before sliding it back into its sheath. I set off at a sprint for the field, when someone grabbed my shoulder.

My father has been enrolling me in martial arts classes since I was a child, and I have various black belts under my…belt. My instincts kicked in, and I stopped, grabbing the assaulting wrist and flipping it over my shoulder. The body followed, revealing a shorter kid with black, short hair. "That wasn't a good idea," I said, moving on and leaving him on the ground. He caught up with me, though, and jogged beside me to keep up with my steps.

"I'm sorry, but you just seemed like you knew where you were going. Are you a beta tester?"

"I was."

"Wow that is so cool! I'm glad to just have gotten a copy, but you're so much luckier than me. Can you help me out?"

"I could."

"Great! So can you give me some advice about what weapon class to pick?"

"I could."

There was a pause, as he obviously thought I would respond. "Well? Are you?"

"No."

"But you said that you would!"

"No. I said I could. Information is gold here. Why would I give it out for free?"

A life of being an outcast will change you. I might seem like an asshole, but I don't want to be. I'm just tired of being taken advantage of, and taking control of the situation is the only way I've figured out how to fix that. SAO was a new start for me, and I was going to start it off right.

His jogging stopped, and I tried to keep myself from looking back at him. I couldn't, and I glanced his way. He was pouting, the emotion software making tears well up in his eyes. Fuck.

"Alright, kid. C'mere, we'll get you a blade."

"Yes!" he shouted, instantly cheering up. I shook my head, feeling tricked, and directed him to the markets.

The kid chose a scimitar, which was little more than a sickle about 2 feet in length. After a bit more coercion, I dragged him out to the field. What can I say? As much of a hardass as I can be, I'm a sucker for a crying kid. And pretty girls. But most of the girls in this game were probably middle-aged men, so I tended not to dwell on them. "My name is James, by the way," he said. I breathed out a sigh of relief. I wasn't the only one using a foreign name as their username.

"Seth." Leading him out into the field, I stopped the first charging boar with the pole of my scythe. "Alright. Now, to use a sword skill, open your menu and see the position." He flicked through his menu as I shoved the boar to the side and caught it again on its return charge. He crouched down, hovering his sword just above where it was supposed to go. "Let it build for a second." He dropped his arm, and the scimitar glowed pink. Then, the game made him charge forward and slice the sickle down on its neck. I finished it off by pushing it, spinning and plunging the scythe into its side.

"Why do you use a scythe?" he asked.

"It's versatile. Can be used as a stab weapon, a slash weapon, a blunt weapon, and it's two-handed, so it's got more power behind it. Or if you want quick strikes you can use one hand."

Suddenly, the ground under the both of us glowed. "What the-?" James asked, before we were teleported. They were moved to the town square of Beginnings. As the rest of the players teleported in, James and I whirled around in confusion. "What's going on?" asked James.

"I don't know. Stay close, kid." Those surrounding us were arguing over what had happened, when they all fell silent. I glanced up to where they were looking, and saw a small red "System Message" prompt hanging high in the sky. The warning spread into a red dome surrounding the town square, and red liquid poured from the gaps in the messages. The liquid paused in it's descent, and formed into a giant cloaked figure.

"Attention, players. Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world. I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu." James' and I's eyes went wide. We flicked open our menus, and quickly confirmed the claim. "But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of Sword Art Online yourselves, and no one on the outside can shut down or remove your NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

I prayed that my father wouldn't try to forcibly wake me up to take out the trash.

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted the remove the NerveGear. As a result, 213 players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world. As you can see," Kayaba pulled up several Internet screens, each displaying news stories, "news stories across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths."

My prayers turned to ones that my father would turn on the news.

"Thus, you can assume the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game."

My prayers stopped, and I stared at the figure in front of us. Clear the game?

"But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within this game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be lost forever. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

Oh, God…

"There is only one means of escape. To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

I reached back to touch the pole of my scythe. It was now the only thing keeping me from dying. It just got a whole lot more important.

"Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please, see yourselves." I flicked through my menu, and tapped the "mirror" that was the new addition to my storage. A small mirror dropped into my hands, and for a second my avatar's face stared back at me. Then, I glowed.

When the light cleared…It was my face. MY FACE. The face that had been laughed at for years. The mismatched eyes that attracted assholes to me like flies to honey. The face that I'd bought this game to hide from. And honestly, that hurt me more than being trapped in a Death Game. I couldn't even hear what Kayaba said before he disappeared. I still just stared at my face in the mirror, rage flashing in my eyes before it shattered. Everyone was looking around as the dome fell, and I grabbed James' hand, dragging him along as I kept my head bowed low.

"Seth! What's going on?"

"I don't know. But we need to get out of here." We practically sprinted from the town square, and we came to a halt at a market. He begged me to let him buy some extra armor, and I stood back, keeping my eyes low. But they were attracted to a cloak. I bought it on the spot, and put it on. It's hood hung low over my face, and the shadows got most of what the hood itself didn't. But it still wasn't enough. I saw a small piece of fabric on the table. "Excuse me," I asked the NPC, "what is that?"

"That's a bandanna. 200 Col."

"I'll take it." I bought it and lowered my hood to examine it. It wasn't a bandanna exactly, but made of a stretchy type of material that expanded and contracted. It was also a tube, nowhere to tie it. I also noticed it had white markings on it, in the shapes of teeth, and the front of a skull. I grinned. Between the cloak, skulls and scythe, people would start to call me "Death" or something. I lowered it over my face, the tube contracting smoothly over my jaw and over my nose. The fabric was thin enough that I could easily breathe through it, and I flipped my hood back up. Wonderful. Now, I was concealed. James turned around, then jumped slightly at my appearance. I also resized him up.

He didn't get much taller, about an inch or two, and his hair had gone from black to dark brown. His face hadn't changed much, a few pimples here and there. He had to be about 14. I'm 16, in case you care.

"Why'd you change?" he asked.

"I don't like my face."

"Why? Are you horribly scared, or something like that?" he asked, chuckling.

"Something like that," I muttered. I glanced at myself in the reflection of some glass, and almost laughed at the similarities between me and the reaper. The shadows reached my upper lip, and all you could see of my face was the skeletal teeth on the bandanna. Perfect.

"Well, weird changes aside…what do we do now?" We walked to the edge of the field, the once fun filled grinding location turned into a death trap in a matter of minutes.

"We beat this damn game."

(X)

We'd fought our way for several hours, increasing about 2 levels each. We were going to rest at a safe zone in the middle of the field that we'd found, sleeping in shifts. We were about to step into the zone, when there was a rough laugh behind us. We turned slowly, my hand absentmindedly traveling to the scythe on my back. There was a man standing there, a mask on his face. It detailed a skull, but was empty where mine covered. It masked his forehead and eyes, but left his mouth free. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"Just a few players," James said, chuckling.

"Have you killed anyone yet?" he asked casually. My eyes immediately narrowed, and the scythe slid out of its sheath. "It's kind of fun."

"What?" asked James.

"No, we haven't," I said. "And I'd rather not. But stay here, and I might have to break that rule." He raised his hands and laughed slightly.

"Alright, Death. I'm leaving." I knew the nicknames would start soon. He turned his back and walked off. My hands reluctantly placed the scythe back into its sheath. We stepped into the safe zone, and a green glow appeared around our health bars, indicating that they couldn't go down. I sat down, James lying on his back. I'd take first watch.

Several hours later, 3 AM game-time, James' alarm went off (I assume, you can't actually hear other people's alarms), and he woke up. I nodded at him, laid back, secured my hood, and nodded off.

I woke up to a moaning. "What the…" I muttered, raising my head. Then I snapped awake, noticing James' health bar. It had just entered the red, and a small window displayed green bubbles. Poison. I leapt to my feet, and glanced around. "James!" I shouted.

"Over here," he said. He was sitting just outside the safe zone, leaned up against the rock. I rushed over, trying to do something, but I couldn't. None of the boars dropped any healing items. He coughed. "That skulled guy came back, challenged me to a duel." Fuck. Even if I dragged him back to the safe zone, his health would still go down. "He…He set it to HP 0. He hit me with this poison, then ran off. He's waiting somewhere, for me to die." He kind of smiled, staring up at the sky. "I don't mind, really," he said. "The only reason I accepted his challenge was…I realized how futile this was. I thought, there is no way in hell we're getting out of this game. It took us a day to get a 1/8th of the way to the tower. I figured I didn't have a chance, so might as well meet this on my own terms." His eyes flicked back down to meet mine. "My name is Shirokawa Tokichiro. I want you to get out of this game, and find my parents. I want you to tell them something for me. I'm not scared. I want them to know…" His eyes flicked back up to the stars. "I wasn't scared."

His heath bar zeroed out, and my only friend shattered into polygons.

I stared blankly at the place where my friend once sat. The only person I knew in this game, and he was dead. If Kayaba was to be believed, the kid's brain had just been cooked from the inside out. Where a human being once sat, there was now a corpse. And the only one who knew his last request was me.

I rose from my kneeled position to a standing one. I drew my scythe from my back, and rested the pole on my shoulder, the blade hanging over my back. I took a deep breath, and continued towards the maze tower.

**Authors Note: This is another project I'm starting, and I'm going to kill myself trying to work on all of these, but I've got some big stuff planned for this. This is going to prolong the SAO arc, and give it the attention I thought it deserved. Also, I have to thank Wol5fe, a friend of mine, for the cover art. Look him up, he's writing some amazing stories.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Authors Note: We introduced the Reaper bit in the first chapter, now for the bitter part.**

I calmly walked the streets of Tolbana, my head bowed low and my scythe hanging over my shoulder. I could hear the whispers around me.

"Is that…"

"Yeah. Everyone calls him 'The Reaper', but no one knows his actual name."

"Why not?"

"He never parties with anyone, and hardly ever speaks."

"Never? How has he survived this long?"

"I saw him fight once. He stays calm, but wields that scythe like a madman. Always pressing forward, never faltering. It's insane."

"What's with that hood?"

"He never lowers it. It's said that when he raises his head, you can see a skull."

"Really?"

I tuned out the rest. Rumors were just rumors, but most of what they'd said was true.

It had been a month. Two-thousand people had died, and I'd collected the final requests of 5 others. They were desperate to impart a final message or deed to be done in the real world. I'd written them in a memo, and set them to be sent to a random player in the event of my death. I continued down the street, spinning my scythe back into its sheath on my back. I'd gotten it from an anaconda mini-boss, and it had a snake for hand guards. It was strong, and the hand-guards had saved my fingers more than a few times. I continued to a small inn, sitting at a table and selecting some food from the menu. It arrived, and I lowered my bandanna, slowly eating the small lunch. I was about halfway through my meal when someone sat across from me.

My eyes flicked up, taking in the figure opposite me. It was a small-built woman with purple hair, and a katana at her belt. She sat there, her back stiff as she stared at me. It was a few moments before she spoke.

"They say you're an NPC." I smiled slightly and took another bite. "But I saw you when you came in, and you've got a green cursor."

"NPCs can have green cursors," I said, lowering my voice to a gravel.

"But they also don't acknowledge that they're called NPCs." Damn. She reached across the table, holding out her hand. "I'm Liliana. Sub-leader of the Traveler's Footprint." I placed my sandwich back on the plate and shook her hand. I retracted it, resuming my eating. "What about your name?"

I chuckled. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

She smiled. "I kind of hoped. It's awkward calling someone 'The Reaper' all the time. Are you coming to the Boss fight meeting?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Well, we were hoping you'd be willing to join a party with our guild for the fight. And if we get along, you could become a permanent member."

"I don't really play well with others."

"We know this really good hunting ground in the maze tower…" she said, trying to entice me.

"East quadrant, 100 meters before the entrance to the north quadrant. Secret hole in the wall that leads to some kobolds. Easy to kill, high XP, fast respawn rate. I know about it." She gasped quietly, then leaned across the table.

"How did you know about that? We've worked hard to keep it a secret!"

"Obviously not hard enough," I said, finishing my food and sipping on the drink.

"You…You're a beta tester, aren't you?" I stayed quiet, but the silence spoke for itself. "You are."

"And that's why I don't play well with others," I said, finishing my drink and rising from the table. I raised my bandanna and left her there, sitting at the table with her mouth hanging open slightly.

(X)

I was walking calmly behind the clearing group. Several others couldn't stop glancing back at me, and some had come up to make pitches of their own, but I ignored them all. They didn't matter. All that mattered was that I kept moving. We came across the doors, and the blue-haired avatar turned and began to speak. The fool considered himself a knight, but there was no job system in this game. He was as much a knight as I was a farmer. The doors opened, and we all surged forward.

I dodged around a Kobold and stabbed it in the back. It shattered, and I sprung towards the boss. I slashed across its belly, then jumped back. I landed on my feet, dashing back to its feet.

A few minutes of fighting later, the boss' health had entered the red. It tossed aside its weapon, drawing a sword from its belt. I crouched, ready to dodge in any direction. The blue-haired guy who'd brought us here charged it, and someone off to the side yelled for him to stop. The boss leapt up, then brought the sword down onto his head. He launched back, and a black-haired avatar and I rushed to his side. The kid offered a potion, which the guy refused. "Why did you try to do it alone?" the kid asked.

"You were a beta tester, weren't you?" the blue haired guy asked. "You knew what I was doing."

"You were after the last attack bonus item. You were a beta tester, too?"

I was after the bonus too, but I would have at least waited until his health was lower before charging. I raised myself up on my scythe. "Do you have any last requests?" I asked. He smiled before nodding.

"My name is Irie Hiroshi. Tell my family that I'm sorry for my selfishness. My greed got the better of me, and, for that, I am sorry."

"I will tell them," I said.

"Thank you," he said as he shattered.

The kid and I turned back to the boss. "Party F, attack!" he shouted, and he, a cloaked figure and I surged forward. I jumped up, spinning my scythe across the boss' face, knocking it back slightly. It swung at me, but I deflected it with the pole of my scythe. The two other people rushed forward, stabbing their swords into its gut.

I dashed behind the boss, dragging the blade across the boss' side, keeping it turned towards me. The other two tore up its back as I kept it attention on me. Suddenly, the cloaked figure went for a stab, when the boss suddenly turned, tearing off their cloak with a sword swipe, revealing a girl with hazel eyes and sharp features. She recovered, and finished her stab into its gut. I spun my scythe, driving the blade into its back, and the boy rushed forward, jumping and driving his sword down from its shoulder to its groin. He pushed off the ground, finishing another slice through the boss. Its health reached zero, and it shattered.

We all collapsed in tiredness, me dimly noting that I leveled up twice from the XP. I rose up onto my scythe, leaning heavily on the pole. "Why?" came a shout from the back of the crowd. "Why did you let Diabel die?" The crowd parted to reveal a kneeling figure with spiky red hair.

"Let him die?" asked the kid. "He refused a health potion."

"But you knew the technique the boss used! If you'd told us about that, he wouldn't have died."

"The technique was different!" the kid protested. I started to feel sorry for him.

"And how do you know that?"

"He must be a beta tester!" shouted another voice. The kid looked like he was about to crumble. And then I made a decision that would change my life. I spoke up.

"That's cute!" I shouted. "You think the kid who finished the boss could be a beta tester?" I asked.

"What are you talking about, Reaper?"

"All of the beta testers are dead."

"Wha…"

"Most of them couldn't even level up, and after being chased down by the rest of you, they snapped. Mostly suicide. Couldn't take it, I guess." I placed my scythe back into its sheath. "Not like me."

"What do you mean?" I shook my head in mock disapproval.

"Are you all really that stupid? I'm saying that the beta testers are all dead now. Diabel was the 999th beta tester to die. And now, I am the final one. I told this poor kid about the boss before the fight. How could he know the information I gave him was wrong? I certainly didn't know!" I asked, chuckling. "I figured it would use one of the more effective katana skill from the floors above."

"But…Knowing things like that…It's cheating! You're worse than just a beta tester! You're cheating!"

The words beta tester and cheater echoed throughout the crowd, eventually morphing into the word 'Beater.' I raised a hand as I turned to the door.

"Whatever you want to call me. Though, I do prefer Death." I walked to the door, and the black-haired kid from earlier ran up beside me.

"What was all-"

I interrupted him, bringing him in close. "I'm giving you and all the other beta testers a chance to hide. I'm taking responsibility, so take the fucking chance."

"But…But…"

"You're a good player, I'll give you that. But if I hear about you or any of the other beta testers announcing your identity, I will take you out." I grabbed the front of his cloak and shoved it away from me. "Spread the word." I walked through the door to the next floor.

**Authors Note: Whaddya think? I like the idea of it.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Doing some P.O.V. changes. This will be the start of the slow-down of the story, and it will stay slowed. Please, please, please review! I love your words!**

I wandered the streets of Taft. It was the main city of floor 11, and it was March of 2023. It had been several days since the clearing of the floor 10 boss. That meant the clearing guild hadn't formally established their temporary base, so the streets were practically bare while they set up. Just how I liked it. But I needed a new scythe. The last time I'd gotten an upgrade was after 7's boss fight from some NPC, and it just didn't stand up anymore. I'd upgraded the shit out of it, but any more and I was afraid it would break. So as much as I hated to say it, it was time to retire ol' snake handguards. For custom weapons, a player store would probably be best. But where to find one… I heard the sound of something hitting glass, and I turned absentmindedly to find the noise. Someone had just changed their sign from closed to open, and a quick glance at the sign above read 'Lisbeth's'. I decided to check it out…

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

Ok…This was it. The day my months of training had led up to, the opening of my first shop. It wasn't a very good location, and it didn't have a water wheel like I'd wanted, but it would do until I could find a more suitable location. I flicked the closed sign to open and stepped in the back room, waiting for the ring that would signify my first customer. It wasn't but two seconds until I heard the ring. Maybe Asuna was coming to check on me. I sprung through the door, placing my hands on my hips and proudly pronounced, "Hello, and welcome to Lisbeth's Smith Shop!" There was no response. I opened my eyes that had been screwed shut, and then my mind wiped blank.

It couldn't be him. He…He wasn't supposed to exist. He was just a myth! Right?

Standing before me was The Grim Reaper.

"Hello," came a voice from under the hood.

"You…You're just a myth," I said, my words stumbling as they left my mouth. He cocked his head to the side slightly.

"I was aware that the current theory was that I'm an NPC." He chuckled slightly. "Guess I'm behind on the times."

"What…Um..." I couldn't think. "What would you like, Mr. Reaper?" I asked good-naturedly.

Another chuckle escaped that hood of his. "I need a scythe, believe it or not." He pulled that blade that was feared by many out of its sheath, and laid it on the table.

"Well…I'll need time to gather the materials."

"Ah, about that." He pulled up his menu, and quickly set a few consumables to take shape. Instantly, about 12 Volcanic rune ores dropped onto the table. I stared. You could only get these by fighting the mini-boss on the 7th floor's dungeon. Even then, the drop rate was less than 10%. And yet, he had twelve. "I trust this will be sufficient."

I reached out, hitting the appraise option, just to be sure they were real. They were. Holy shit.

"Yeah, this will be…um…What stats were you looking for?"

"Strength and speed, mostly."

"Yeah, I've…heard the rumors."

He cocked his head to the side again. "Oh, really? And what do they say?"

"Well…Some of them say you're the real reaper, stalking the battlefield to claim souls."

He scoffed. "Morons."

"But those at least think you're real. The others say you're a myth."

"Can we get back to the scythe, please?" He reached under the hood and rubbed his face. At least, I hoped there was a face under there.

"Yes, of course. Sorry, I just didn't expect my first customer to be Death," I said, chuckling and turning back to my forge room. He cleared his throat, and I turned in confusion. "What?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"And what's that?"

"The ore?" Ah. Yeah, that was important. I nodded sharply, walking back to the table. "So, how many will you need? 5? 6?" I smiled slightly, and picked one up. "Are you kidding me?"

"No…I just need the one." He immediately rubbed his face again, and groaned through his hands.

"I spent an entire day grinding that stupid boss." I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, go ahead and laugh at my pain." I caught myself, marveling at the absurdness of the situation. Here I was, on my first day of work. A player I thought was a myth had just complained, and I was laughing at his anguish. Definitely what I'd thought I'd be doing when I woke up today.

Seth's POV

I couldn't stop staring at her as she walked into the back room. The pink hair… 'Stop it, Seth.' I walked over to the table, and scooped up the rest of the ores, placing them back into my inventory. Maybe I'd be able to sell them, or upgrade the scythe with them. I leaned on the wall, my head resting back against the wall itself. There was a very pretty girl making my new weapon. I could get used to this.

I thought about what she'd said. According to a lot of players, I either didn't exist, or was the real grim reaper. Either rumor would cause even more fear. And after the beater thing, I was surprised this girl was willing to craft for me. My bandanna slipped off my nose, and I went to drag it back up when there was a noise. My eyes snapped open, and Lisbeth was back.

"So you do have a face under there," she said, sounding like she actually believed the opposite was true.

I quickly dragged the bandanna back up. "Is it done?"

"Yeah."

"That was quick."

"Forging doesn't take much time. It's more about the gathering of materials, and you did most of that for me."

"Can I see it?"

"Of course." She stepped to the side of the door, and gestured me into the forge. On the anvil…

It was a work of art. The top edge looked like the wing of a bat, the side without the blade extending out into points with red fabric webbing between the points. The blade itself was long, and had runes carved into it in an unknown language. It had a small handle extending from the pole midway, allowing me more versatility. Wonderful. The bottom edge ended in a small circle, with edges extending from it like a ninja star.

"Is it good?" she asked. "You didn't say what you wanted the handle to be made out of, so I used raven wood that a friend of mine gathered from floor nine."

"It's beautiful." I reached out and picked it up, spinning it quickly. I spun around, stopping the blade just before it hit the wall, then spun again, twirling the blade and nearly hitting the girl. She yelped and I chuckled.

"I'll need to appraise it," she said, reaching out. I allowed her to touch it, and the option popped up which she quickly tapped. "Raven's Talon. It's got a level 2 bleeding effect, and that can be upgraded further."

"Pretty damn good for your first client." I sheathed the blade. "How much?" She thought.

"Tell you what. No money, but I'll require two things?"

"Oh? And what would those be?"

"You come by my shop only for upgrades. Having someone like you pop by is going to earn me some publicity." I chuckled, bowing my head. She wasn't wrong. I had a certain group following me almost at all times. Normally I could lose them in the Labyrinth area, but they could be annoying in safe zones. But I'd overheard they were going to be on floor 9 today.

"Deal. And the second thing?"

"The Army. They've been poking around lately. A friend of mine…refused to pay their taxes, and they dragged him to that castle of theirs."

"You want me to scare them off if they come for you?"

"When, actually. When they come for me. I was planning to call Asuna, but you'll do."

"Alright…when are they coming for you?" I checked the time in the corner of my display. I'd planned to head out towards the labyrinth area today, but I could spare a few hours.

"About 10 minutes."

"How…"

"Do I know? They have a schedule. They dispatch platoons to every floor every Wednesday at noon."

"I was not aware of that. They're really into this whole 'You owe us because we're the only ones trying to clear the game' thing. I thought they'd be too afraid to come this far. I'm not even an official member of the clearing group, and I know they're a joke among the higher players."

"Tell me about it. I can wield a mace with the best of them, and they still say I need to be protected." A knock at the door. "Shit," she said, running to the window. "They're early." She turned, but I was already gone.

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

'Dammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammit….That's what I get for trusting the damn Reaper,' I thought as I saw he was gone. I turned back and opened the door. 'Do a guy a favor, and he'll take all he can.' Three Army grunts were standing there.

"What do you idiots want?"

"Taxes, citizen. You owe it to all the players trapped in this game to fund the Army, the only guild successful in its efforts to clear the game."

"Ever hear of the Knights of the Blood Oath? They can do more in an hour than you jackasses can pull off in a week."

"How dare you!"

"How dare I?! How dare you come in here and demand my money!"

I was really hoping this wasn't going to result in a fight. Even in a safe zone, they could still come back when I went to the field. It was then I heard a voice.

"You three have about 10 seconds to get off my lawn," said a gravelly voice from behind them. The small group parted. The Reaper was back. His voice had lowered to little more than a throaty growl, but there was no mistaking that scythe.

"Oh, god…" muttered the one on the right. The one in the middle kept a stiff back and retaliated.

"And who are you that thinks they can outweigh the Army?" The Reaper drew his new scythe, placing the end with the blade on the ground.

"You know exactly who I am. I can see the trembling in your companion's legs. I can smell your fear." The one in the middle even started to cower. "One Army platoon versus the entire Clearing group? No problem. One Reaper? Now you're scared." The figure leaned in, squaring up to the middle guy. "Run back to that dump you idiots call a castle, and tell your higher ups something. If you bother this poor girl ever again, you will find anything unprotected by the ethics filter scattered about the ruins of Hell." The three trembled under the force the man was putting behind his words. He leaned even closer. "Boo." The three jumped, then ran off. The Reaper watched them leave, then nodded to me. "I don't think they'll be coming back here any time soon." His voice had returned to normal.

Seth's P.O.V.

There was nothing I liked more than to watch the Army run like hell. I turned back to Lisbeth. "I don't think they'll be coming back here any time soon," I said. I was surprised when she leapt forward and threw her arms around me.

"Thank you!"

"Woah, ok." I tried prying her arms off of me, but her strength factor was higher than mine. "Look, it's nothing. You told me to do it, and I got it done." She stood up straight, a smile wide on her face.

"I thought you left."

"I keep my promises." I closed my eyes, lowering my bandanna and rubbing my throat. Doing that gravely tone killed my voice.

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

He did it. I could hardly believe it, but he did it. He lowered his bandanna, and I got an idea. I stood on the tip of my toes to get to his height, planting a kiss on his exposed cheek. "You're not as bad as everyone thinks you are," I whispered. I immediately turned, going back inside the shop without waiting for a response.

Seth's P.O.V.

"You're not as bad as everyone thinks you are," she whispered. She turned and went back inside. My hand absentmindedly raised itself to rub the area she'd touched with her lips. Snapping out of whatever trance I was in, I raised my bandanna, sheathed my new scythe, and headed for the Maze Tower. I could definitely get used to this.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Authors Note: Thanks for all the praise on the third chapter guys.

It was the third or fourth time that I visited Lisbeth's shop that she was freaking out.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit all to hell," she muttered, flicking through her menu as I walked through the door. She ignored the bell as it rung, hurriedly scanning a quest menu repeatedly. "What the hell…"

"Lisbeth?" I asked. She jumped, her menu staying in front of her as she spun around.

"What?!" she yelled, sounding agitated.

"What are you doing?" She sighed, flicking away her menu and rubbing her temples.

"It's this damn quest. I'm supposed to take this statue from a party."

"Stealing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, which she couldn't see but made me feel cooler.

"Oh, relax. It's already stolen, I'm just returning it to its rightful place in exchange for some ores."

"So what's going wrong?"

"I can't get in! I show my invitation at the front, but it always gets denied!"

"Is it a specific type of party?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, if it's a masquerade ball, and you don't have a mask you won't get in. Or if there's a dress code, you're not getting in with your blacksmithing gear. Can I see the invitation?" She nodded, summoning up the slip of paper and handing it to me. I scanned it.

'You are invited blahblahblah…Requirement: MUST come in pairs.'

"Umm…Did you actually read this thing?"

"No," she said. "I had to build a sword for the guy just to get the damn paper. I thought it'd get me in just by showing it, so I didn't bother."

"Well, it says you have to go in pairs." She groaned and pulled dramatically at her hair.

"Uhh…It's a damn timed quest. Who am I going to find…" Her words slowed as her eyes widened, and she looked up at me.

"You mean me?"

"Who else would I mean?"

"Fine. You want to show up with Death on your arm, that's up to you." She laughed.

"Aw, you're not even going to dress up?"

"Do I look like I carry a suit and tie on me?"

"Well then. We're going shopping!"

"I thought this was a timed quest."

"That doesn't mean I can't see you all dressed up. Besides, we've got 'till midnight tonight."

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

I picked out a very cute dress from the NPC tailor's, and took the Reaper's word that he'd picked up something. I thought we'd be wearing the new clothes straight to the party, but he disagreed. He said he had an escape plan in case we raised an alarm, and asked me to trust him. I did.

We walked up to the bouncer that had rejected me twice, and he let us in as soon as we showed the invitation. We walked past the ballroom, my information leading us to the second floor.

"The room it's in should be at the end of the hall," I said, flicking aside my menu. He nodded, keeping an eye behind us as we progressed across the mansion. We got to the end of the hallway, and I tried the door handle. Locked. "Damn it. It's locked." I was halfway through materializing my mace to knock the door down, when he put a hand on my wrist.

"You take watch," he said, crouching down in front of the lock.

"You learned lock picking?" I asked curiously. My question was answered when the lock clicked and the door swung open. He rose, ushering me into the room and shutting the door behind us. I scanned the room, identifying the small statue and grabbing it off its pedestal. There was a subtle click, and immediately he rushed over to analyze the pedestal. He tensed, rushing over to the window and throwing it open. "What?" I asked.

"You set off an alarm, that's a pressure pad. Guards are coming."

"So, what? We're getting out the window?"

"No, that's what we want them to think," he said, grabbing a side door and opening it to reveal a closet. "Get in." I nodded, running in, before he followed me into the cramped space. It would have been comfortable for one person, but with two people packed inside, we were pressed against each other. He pressed his ear to the door, listening.

I could hear the door being flung open, and footsteps raced to the window. "They're outside," said an older voice, and the footsteps exited, the door to the office being shut. The Reaper nodded, opening the closet, and the two of us spilled out.

"You realize you picked the most cliché hiding spot ever, right?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can't hear you over the sound of us not getting caught," he replied sarcastically.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Now we put those fancy clothes to good use," he said, flicking through his menu and turning around. "Put on whatever you bought."

Seth's P.O.V.

When she gave me permission to turn back around…Damn. A ruby dress with straps that hung to her shoulders had appeared. There was a rose, it's color a lighter pink than her hair, pinned to one of the shoulder straps, and a scarlet belt of the same fabric wrapped around her waist. She was…Beautiful.

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

When he turned back around, he was…handsome. He'd put on a pure black suit, the jacket, shirt and pants all a void, contrasted by the crimson tie he had on. He'd put on a masquerade mask, and it covered the upper half of his face, with tinted paper covering the eyes. I assumed he could see through, but I couldn't. I could see his hair, which was short and hung just over the edge of the mask, and was a dark brown, sort of like my real hair color.

"Y-You look…um…" he stuttered out, rubbing the back of his head.

"You too," I said, smiling. He extended an arm.

"Shall we go?" he asked. I smiled, interlocking arms with him.

"We shall." We walked out of the office. "So the plan is we blend with the NPCs and sneak out?"

"Yep."

"Good plan."

"I thought so."

We walked through the ballroom, and suddenly, I stopped.

Seth's P.O.V.

I felt her arm jerk mine back, signifying she'd stopped. "What is it?" I asked, turning back to look. She'd stopped, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

"Dance with me," she said.

"Are you kidding?" I asked.

She shook her head, her grin getting even bigger. "Don't you want to dance with me?" she asked.

"I don't dance." She grabbed my other arm, dragging me to her.

"You do now." I groaned in mock despair. She dragged my hands into position, grinning as she led us in the small circle of a dance.

"Why do you torture me so?" I asked. She giggled, and I couldn't help but smile.

"So?" she asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"So what?" I asked.

"Do I look…sexy?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and raising the eyebrow higher, a grin spreading across her face.

Well…Fuck. No way in hell was I going to tell her the truth, but I didn't want to sound like too much of an asshole.

"If I say yes, can we go finish this quest?" I asked.

She smiled, her eyes scanning my face, searching for a chink in my armor. "Tell me your name?" she asked lightly.

…This was something personal. This was no longer bargaining, she was making an effort to get closer to me. But…the question was why? I was a beater. THE beater. According to everyone, I cared only for myself, and anyone who got in the way was dead. And yet…This girl legitimately wanted to get to know me.

I opened my menu, requesting her to party with me, knowing my name would show up on the request. She glanced down. "Seth," she read out slowly, as if feeling her way through saying the word. She smiled. "I like it," she said, tapping the circle that was the yes option.

Authors Note: Seriously though, thank you guys for all the support this story has gotten. Loving it, and believe me, there are twists and turns coming up soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Authors Note: If you guys have any ideas for adventures, feel free to put them in the reviews, and I'll try to sneak them in.**

I was walking home from the Labyrinth area when I got the feeling I was being watched. I used enemy search, but nothing happened. I heard a rustling in the bushes next to me, and then something popped up, a green cursor. My hand slowly started to creep towards my scythe, but it didn't get halfway there before what was in the bushes burst out.

I was prepared for that, and rushed forward, latching onto whatever it was, spinning and throwing it on the ground, my scythe in hand. Then I saw who it was. A skinny woman with a purple tunic with a black hood, her green eyes peeking out from the shadows.

"What do you want, Eve?" I asked. She smiled.

"As commander of The Grateful Dead guild, we request once again that you join us for the 11th boss fight!" she shouted, a smile still wide on her face.

When people heard about me, they usually fell into one of three categories. The first hated me, either because I was a Beater or because they thought I was Death. The second had a sense of respect, at least until they found out about the Beater part, then they transferred to the first category. The third actually had two sub-categories. The first were people who followed me, generally hoping I'd lead them to rare items, and clear enemies out of their way. The second sub-category was the guild known as the Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead were a weird bunch. Unlike some people, they believed that I was a player, but that I still had some sort on control over who lived and who died in the game. They followed me, and I'd even heard rumors of sacrifices of items and equipment in hopes that I'd allow them to live. Essentially, I'd accidentally started a cult.

"And as commander of me, I'm going to decline again." She scrambled to her feet as I walked off, matching my speed.

"But sir, if you would just listen to what The Grateful Dead has to offer-, "

I pulled a teleportation crystal from my inventory. This would just go on and on until I ditched her, and I didn't have the energy required to lose her. "Teleport Taft." There was a flash of light, and I appeared at the teleport gate.

Walking to Liz's shop, I bowed my head as I walked in. "Liz?" I asked. She wasn't in the front of the shop, which meant she was in the forge. Walking into the back room, I leaned against the side of the door-frame, watching her hammer at a small ore. She turned mid-hit, noticing me.

"Hey Seth. Just give me a second, a friend of mine needs a new rapier before the boss fight."

"Asuna?" I asked. Apparently, Liz was friends with the vice commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, a story I had yet to hear, and a person I had yet to speak to. "The info says the boss is weak to thrust attacks, so her old rapier would do her fine."

"Yeah, well, even with my skill, I can't upgrade weapons forever. It was nearing the end of its lifespan."

"Whatever. I got some stream ores from the lizardmen in the maze tower, so I'll need you to bind those to my scythe later."

"That's 300 Col and a dinner." I rolled my eyes. She'd been tricking/enticing me into going on…Is date the right word? I don't even know.

"Fine." There was a knock at the door.

"Can you see who that is?" she asked, still focusing on the forming blade. I turned, to see Eve standing at the door. Fuck. I slipped in the room and hid behind the anvil. She finished the blade, peeking down the side of the metal block. "What are you doing?"

"Fanatic."

"Fanatic?" she asked, grinning.

"People are fucking crazy," I said. "Get rid of her."

"Her?" she smiled. "You don't want a girl following you?"

"Not people who consider me next to gods, no. Get rid of her."

"Why should I?" she grinned widely.

"Get rid of her please?" I asked. She shook her head. "500 Col, dinner, and a favor?"

"There we go," she said, placing the hammer on the table and walking to the front of the shop. I sighed. These girls were going to kill me.

(X)

Liz wanted to join me on the next boss fight, and while I was reluctant to accommodate, she talked me into it. We walked just behind the clearing group, conversing quietly.

"So I block, and you switch in?" I confirmed. She nodded. "I don't know why you bothered to come."

"I wanted to see how you fight," she said. "All I've seen you do is threaten people and nearly hit me once."

"And you're willing to risk your life in a boss fight to satisfy your curiosity?"

"I won't die."

"And why's that?"

"Because I have you."

My cheeks flared with heat at that remark. As if I lived to protect her…Though…'Shut up,' I thought.

We reached the boss room, and Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, turned around. Heathcliff was an older man, his hair brown, and one couldn't help but wonder what a guy like him was doing in a game like this.

But we were all thankful for it, because he had a skill, called Holy Sword. It was so rare, he said it was unique, in that only he could use it. It boosted his attack and defense, and while the attack was formidable, it was said that his defense was impenetrable. When this was revealed in the 7th boss fight, people rejoiced, saying that the Knights of the Blood Oath were the strongest guild, and Heathcliff its strongest player.

"Alright, players! To the next floor!" he shouted. The people around us cheered, and Liz let out a whoop. I smiled, shaking my head slightly as I removed my scythe from its sheath. The doors swung open…and revealed the boss.

This boss was completely different from the one in the Beta test. It was a demon type, so it was cloaked in a long robe, not unlike the one the Kayaba game master avatar was wearing the first day, but it was black. Inside the hood, you could see the skulled face of the boss. It was wielding a scythe I judged to be 10 feet long, and the bottom of the robe was floating a foot or so off the ground. But the thing that really separated this boss from the others was…We'd sent in two scouting parties to analyze its patterns. 4 people from the 10 people parties had died, and the scouts reported that the boss laughed at those it killed, laughing and taunting the remaining members. But the thing that messed with me most…It had different colored eyes. They were blue. And Red. Fucking Blue and Red! I started to wonder whether Kayaba was mocking me.

We all rushed forward, me blocking the spinning scythe with my own, and the others rushed in, slamming their weapons into its body. It spun the other way, driving its scythe through an unaware Army member, who screamed once before dying. A raspy laugh escaped the cloak, and the boss said its 'catchphrase.' According to the scouts, it said this every time it killed. "Listen to the cowards scream," it bellowed in a voice that had crawled straight from hell. Heathcliff rushed forward, locking his shield against the next strike, and I managed to get a sword skill off before they broke apart.

I checked the name of the boss, which I'd ignored previously, as I jumped back, allowing Lisbeth to switch in. The Reaper. Now Kayaba was really mocking me. My eyes flicked back down in time to see its scythe heading straight for Lisbeth. "Liz!" I shouted, and she turned, barely blocking the strike with her mace, but she still took enough damage for her health bar to enter the yellow zone. That did it. You can mock me. You can imitate me. But hurt my friends? And I'll end you. I flicked through my menu, exchanging one of my skills for another. I sprung forward, and activated a skill known simply as 'Disguise'.

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

When Seth activated that skill…All hell broke loose. He grew until he towered ten feet over the tallest of us, a cloak appearing around him. While his normal one was black, this was more than black, it was a void. What you could see of him had become a skeleton, bony feet poking out from under the cloak, skeletal arms wielding his scythe, and his face became a skull. His scythe grew until it was as tall as him, and it went from black to white. The bat wing on the top turned into the skull of some sort of demon, its jaw longer than any creatures, and the pole of the scythe sprouting from its mouth. The blade sprung from the back of its head, and at the bottom of the pole was a large knife. It was awe-inspiring…and terrifying.

He took his new scythe and slashed it across the creature's body once, twice, three times, each hit dealing the damage of a normal hit, but with level 10 bleeding effects accompanying each strike. "You think you are the Reaper?" he asked in that raspy voice he did when scaring people. He used the back end of the scythe to pin the boss against the wall, its health quickly draining from the bleeding effects. "You think you are the one who can guide men's souls to the afterlife?" he asked. "I am Death." The sentence echoed throughout the room as the other players looked on in awe. "You are but a poor copy." He cocked his head. "And while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…" His sentence trailed off as he spun, driving his scythe through the boss's head. He spun the pole towards the sky, tearing off its head. He threw the scythe up in the air, and catching it as the boss' head exploded along with its body. The congratulations message appeared as he spoke. "I am not in a mood to be flattered."

He shrunk, his body retreating into itself as he returned to normal size. He fell the 10 feet to the ground, and I saw his health drop a little from the hit. As he was falling, I could see that his hood had returned to the default position of down, but he pulled it up before he hit the ground, and raised his bandanna as he raised himself from the crouched position. "It is done," he said, turning to the next floor's staircase. I glanced back at the stunned clearing group before running after him.

I found him in a back ally of the town Pani on the twelfth floor. He was sitting up against the building next to him, his head bowed low. "Hey," I said. He raised his head, not facing me.

"Hello."

"Do you want to tell me what that was?" I asked.

"About a month ago, that skill appeared in my list. That was the first time I've used it in front of people. It has the same classification as Holy Sword, unique."

"What's it called?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation casual.

"Disguise. It doesn't actually make me any stronger, apart from those bleeding effects." I sat down in front of him. I saw a tear appear from the shadows and fade into the bandanna.

"You okay?" I asked. He shook his head. I leaned forward and wrapped him in a hug. His head leaned on my shoulder and he shook softly. "You want to talk about it?"

"In the real world…I'm a coward. I can't fight the mocking of my peers, and when I got trapped here…I wasn't strong enough. So I had to become somebody else. I became the Grim Reaper. But…It was just a mask. I could slip it on and off, and go back to myself any time I wanted. But that skill…I can't run from it. It's no longer a mask, it's a mindset. And those aren't so easily changed." I leaned back, him keeping still.

I started to grab for his hood, but, faster than lightning, his arms moved, trapping my wrists in his hands. I stared into the shadows where I knew he was looking at me. "Trust me," I said. A moment passed, and his grip relented. His arms fell back to his sides, and I lowered his hood.

He looked…normal. The brown hair I'd seen at the party hung down to half his forehead, which lead to thin eyebrows. The only abnormal bit was his eyes. One was a deep sapphire blue, and the other a dark crimson. 'Is that why he hides his face?' I thought. 'He doesn't like his eyes?' I leaned in, doing what I'd wanted to do since the party.

I kissed him.

Seth's P.O.V.

She…She kissed me? She leaned back onto her thighs, cradling my face within her hands. "Listen to me." Could I do anything but? "You are not a Reaper. You are a man. You were scared, but you didn't run. You adapted. And that makes you stronger than the 2000 already gone. You understand? You are strong." She leaned forward, embracing me again. I relented, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her back. Her words echoed throughout my thoughts. 'You are strong...I am strong.' No...I wasn't. But as I hugged Liz in that back alley, I realized that I didn't have to be.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Authors Note: I have to say a few things here. One, I said that the story would stay slowed. Well, it's one thing to say it, and another to write it. So there will be a few skips in-between arcs, and periods of slowdown. Second, there was a guest review, and it guessed a future arc I'd been planning since the beginning of the story. So if you post a review with an idea and it's something I already thought of…Good minds thing alike? Also, Guest reviewer (You know who you are) keep quiet. We don't want the others knowing, do we?**

June 17th 2023

I walked into Liz's shop, shifting my leather coat forward a smidge. It was a last attacking bonus from floor 29's boss, boosted my defense by 120 points, and was simply a leather jacket with a hood large enough to shadow my face. It made me look like one of those modern renditions of the Reaper, like a biker or something like that. While the loose fitting cloak was terrifying to the right people, it was no longer effective in battle. I kept the bandanna, though, having a tailor boost it to give me a hiding increase. "Hey Liz."

Liz and I…I'm not entirely sure what we were. I think we're dating. At least 90% sure…85%. If we were, she was making a good impression. After a few weeks, I'd gotten comfortable with her regularly seeing my face,

She turned from admiring a sword that she'd just put on the wall. She cocked her head to the side, frowning and placing her hands on her hips. 'What did I…Oh, right, the hood,' I thought as I dragged the hood off and slipped the bandanna off my nose. "Better," she said, walking to the front of the shop.

"So why'd you message me?" I asked. She'd called me back from the frontlines on floor 34 in the middle of the day, something she tried not to do.

"Those fanatics of yours have gone overboard this time," she said, going back over to the counter. I sighed.

"What have they done this time?" I asked. She shook her head and went to the forge door. I was about to follow her when she spoke to someone inside.

"C'mon out, Carmine," she said. Noting the presence of another person I flipped my hood back up. I still wasn't comfortable with anyone but Liz seeing my face, but I left my bandanna down. When Liz stepped aside, a woman walked through. She had short hair, the color somewhere between black and purple. She was wearing a simple white bra and panties, the default appearance for someone with their Ethic's filter on, indicating she had no equipment. She still had her arms crossed in front of her chest, and she appeared to be extremely nervous. "It's okay," said Liz, placing her arms on the other girl's shoulders. "Tell him what happened." She began speaking as I scanned my inventory for something for the poor girl to wear.

"My husband Greg and I were going through the fields on floor 22...When we were attacked. They destroyed our weapons, and ordered us to surrender our equipment. I gave them all my armor, activating a teleport crystal behind my back. It was only when I got back to the town...Greg didn't have any crystals."

I conjured a cloak that would cover her, throwing it to her as I rubbed my face. "I assure you that I want nothing to do with The Grateful Dead, and their actions are not under my orders."

Liz stared at me. "They took him." Carmine collapsed into sobs, and Liz supported her as she continued. "She went back, and he was gone. They were talking about a bigger sacrifice. You don't think..."

"They wouldn't, though, right? They're not going to risk the crackdown that would bring, right?" I asked.

"I've gotten stories like this for a few days now," she said. "Them attacking players and stripping them of their equipment. After that slaughter from 31's boss fight…they're desperate."

She was right. During the boss fight on floor 31, almost half of their guild had been wiped out within minutes. They must have figured that their current sacrifices weren't doing the job. So they did the only thing they thought they could do. They stepped up their game.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. If this had been going on since 31, who knows how many players had been attacked.

"They were just rumors! I didn't want you to worry."

"Please," said Carmine. She looked up into my eyes, tears glistening in hers. "Get him back."

"I will," I said, turning for the door and pulling up my bandanna. "I promise."

(X)

I stalked the streets of Ronbaru, knowing one of the Grateful Dead would come out to greet me. My presence usually set off waves of discussion among players, and those bastards have eyes and ears everywhere. This was the town where they'd set up their new headquarters, but I wasn't sure where. When I got to the south side of town, it wasn't long before Eve came out of the shadows. She bowed her head, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sir, we have collected many items to give you, in hopes that you have mercy on us," she said, her head still facing the ground. I was about to tell her that she was batshit crazy, but paused. If I played along, and went to see their ritual, they'd take me to where they were keeping Greg.

"I sense you have brought more than items for me," I said.

"Oh, yes. That one," she said. "He hasn't seen the power you hold yet, but a few weeks in the basement without food will change his tune." I clenched my fists, trying to bottle up my rage.

"Take me to him."

"Sir?"

"Take me to him. I shall convert him if I have to tear out his disrespectful tongue," I said, changing to my gravelly voice and forcing malice into my words. Not a difficult task, considering how pissed I was with the woman before me.

She bowed even lower. "Yes, of course, sir." She turned, and I followed her to the line where the south quadrant met the east, near to the wall that protected the town from the monsters in the field. We stopped at a small house, built into the wall itself. It wasn't much, but that was just the outside. The inside…was an entirely different story.

It was entirely painted black, the furniture moved to the walls. A cross between a pentagram and a skull was drawn on the floor in chalk, and imagery from various religions dotted the walls. I scoffed internally, but nodded in fake appreciation. Eve led me to a door, which opened to a hall. There were various other doors in the hallway, which I assumed led to the living quarters of the other Grateful Dead members. But she led me to the end of the hall, opening the door the farthest away. I could see a set of stairs, and not much else.

I turned to Eve. "Disturb me, and you will not be as lucky as our friend down there," I said. She nodded hurriedly, scurrying away as fast as her feet would carry her. I nodded, dropping the façade as I descended the stairs, shutting the door behind me.

I entered a small room, and could hear steady breathing on the wall opposite me. "Greg?" I asked the darkness.

"How do you know my name?" came a tired sounding voice from the other end.

"Carmine sent me," I said. I could hear his head move to face my voice.

"Carmine? She's okay?"

"A bit shaken up," I said, walking over and removing my scythe. As I got closer, I could see him. He had short hair, jet black and slicked back on his head. He had the simple boxers that were the default equipment, and his wrists were bound by rope. I sliced through the ropes, then placed the scythe back in its sheath. "But she's fine. Can you stand?" To answer my question, he stood shakily onto his feet.

"Take me to her," he said.

"It's not that simple. The Grateful Dead see me letting you out, they'll be pissed, and while this is a safe zone, that knockback effect could be enough to keep us in here. I have to figure a way to get them out."

"Do whatever you have to do. Just get me to her." I nodded. They were probably yellow players now, having attacked and kidnapped other players…There were only a couple of guilds that attacked Yellow players on sight, and only one that at least tried not to kill them. The Army. But they stopped showing up to front lines since floor 25, having half their number wiped out, they retreated back to the first floor to restore order and build up their numbers. There was no way in hell I'd be able to lead the Grateful Dead to the Black Iron Castle…But maybe I could throw them there.

I opened my menu, checking the reward that I'd gotten from a quest on 32 was still there. I nodded, swiping aside my menu and motioning for Greg to stand. "We're leaving."

"I thought you said you needed to get rid of them," he said, rising to his feet.

"I am, but I need them pissed at me." We walked up the stairs, and I opened the door. There was Eve, and 2 other members standing in the hallway.

"Sir, what are you doing?" asked Eve.

"I'm taking him back home."

"But we…"

"I know exactly what you were going to do. And that's why I'm taking him back. And the rest of you are going to the Black Iron Castle."

"I'm sorry, sir. But that's not ha-" She didn't finish the sentence. I activated the Corridor crystal and threw it over their heads, it activating at the end of the hall. I rushed forward, slamming a small dagger into her gut. She took no damage, but the knockback effect launched her into the portal, where I knew she would appear back on the first floor, surrounded by army troops. I swipe to the right, and another flew into the portal. I glared at the one on the left, who willingly ran for the portal.

I cleared the building room by room, tearing the occupants from their rooms and beds and throwing them into the portal. After the last one had been transported, I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't have to deal with crazies anymore. At least, not that type of crazy. I nodded to Greg, opening up a trade menu and sending him the cache of equipment I found at the back. I pulled out a teleport crystal. "Teleport. Taft." The two of us were moved to the teleport gate in Taft.

Entering Liz's shop, there was a shout, and then Carmine was on Greg, her arms wrapped around his neck. We saw them off, Carmine sending me an object via trade menu. Seeing what it was, I quickly hid it from sight. Either Liz had told some interesting stories during my disappearance, or we were a lot closer than I thought.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Authors Note: This has gotten a lot more attention than I expected. Good!**

November 27th, 2023

Lisbeth and I walked the streets of Lindas. She'd been complaining about the frontline players being unwilling to travel down to the lower floors to visit her shop anymore, so she wanted to move to a higher floor, namely the frontlines on floor 48. But it was late, and we were tired from searching. I was about to suggest we head back to Taft, when Liz started hitting her forehead with her fist. It definitely wasn't enough to hurt, but more than enough to show she was aggravated. "It's no use," she said.

"C'mon, there was that one place you liked," I said, recalling the riverfront place on the edge of town. It had a water wheel, which was highest on her list of priorities, but it was also the most expensive place we'd looked at.

"Yeah, but we'd never be able to afford it. I just want to relax now. Let's go home." The word relax triggered an idea, and I remembered a spot I'd found when we got to this floor.

"Can I show you something?" I asked.

"I'm too tired," she groaned.

"I'll carry you," I said. She gave me a weird look, as I had never offered a transport service before. "I think you need to see this."

"People will notice," she said.

"So?"

She grinned. "Alright then." She walked behind me. "So how do I…" I bent at the knees, crouching down.

"Hook your knees around my torso, and your arms around my neck, and squeeze." She did as I said, and we were soon up and moving, her resting her head on my shoulder and neck.

"How do you know how to do that?"

"My family doesn't like to walk."

"You said once you were an only child."

"My cousin used to visit us over the summer. When we were younger, she'd make me carry her around like this all the time."

"What was her name?" It wasn't an unreasonable question, at least not to me, but just thinking of the other world gave me head and heart ache.

"…Amy."

"That's a nice name." I chuckled. "What?"

"That's what she told the people who teased my name."

"She sounds like a good cousin."

"Is that a thing?" I asked as I left the town, but stayed just inside the safe zone, walking around the wall. "Being a good cousin?"

"Of course. Family is family, no matter how distant the relation."

"We're close. Shut your eyes," I said, keeping out of the agro range of a crab monster.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." She groaned.

"I can't see anything," she said, nuzzling into my shoulder a little deeper. "You're in the way."

"You say that like it's my fault."

"You're the one who offered to carry me."

"Just shut your eyes."

"Yes sir!" she shouted tiredly, giving a half-hearted salute. We left the edge of the wall, but I knew from experience that no monsters spawned on this path. I walked up a hill, coming to the edge of a cliff face as I lowered my hood and bandanna.

"Alright, Seth Express letting off. Please disembark, and we request that you keep your eyes closed." She groaned again, feeling her way through the process of getting back on her feet. I turned her towards the cliff, and said "Open up." Her eyes creaked open, then flew wide.

I didn't blame her. The path was a bit out of the way…but you couldn't deny the view. The hill gave us a perfect view of a distant lake, and the setting sun bathed the sky in gold, reflecting off the lake, and framing the city in scarlet rays. "I thought you'd like this."

"Oh, Seth…It's beautiful." She stepped towards me, her eyes glued to the horizon, and wrapped her arms around my arm, pulling herself to me and resting her head on my shoulder.

"I thought you'd like it."

"I wish we could just stay like this. Don't you?"

"More than you could imagine," I said, feeling her move a little to get comfortable on my shoulder.

(X)

I woke up on the 28th of November, the sun streaming through the window of the inn. 'It's amazing how detailed this game can be, Death Game or not,' I thought as I noticed the sunlight catch on the dust in the air. I stood up, opening my menu, and casually checking the in-game news over a small cup of tea. The front headlines? "Heathcliff announces his status as a beta-tester."

WHAT. THE. FUCK. I had been taking the blame for the rest of those guys for almost a year, and NOW he decides to come forward? And…WHY? I needed to talk to this guy. Now. I sent a message to Liz, informing her I might be late that afternoon, and headed for the teleport gate.

(X)

I stalked across the small field on floor 39, heading for the farmhouse that was the base of the KoBO. The two guards that were standing in front ordered me to halt and state my business, an order that I ignored. They rushed forward, both armed with broadswords. I drew my scythe, knocking the right one's sword to the side with the pole, and slamming the flat of the blade into the side of his head. He staggered off behind me, and I dodged under the swipe from the left, slamming the pole into his stomach. I walked up to the front of the home, kicking in the front door. I'd interrupted a meeting.

The four sub-leaders of the KoB were sitting around a table, staring blatantly at their intruder. Heathcliff was at the head of the table, his eyebrows raised, almost like he'd been expecting me. "Is that-?" asked one of the leaders, whispering to his colleague.

"I think it is," the other replied.

"I thought it was an NPC!" he whispered hurriedly. I almost chuckled, noting the amount of times I'd joined the boss fights. This one must have been new.

I sheathed my scythe, entering the home. Two of the leaders rose to their feet, reaching for their weapons, but Heathcliff silently called them off, Asuna staying sitting. "Did I interrupt?" I asked, pulling up a chair, dropping into it and propping my feet up on the table. "Go ahead, don't mind me," I said, grinning like a madman under my bandanna.

"Is there something you'd like, Reaper?" asked Heathcliff.

"Yes, actually. As much as I love to visit, I need to talk with you. Alone. Now."

"You don't actually expect our leader to-," said one of the leaders, rising to his feet and slamming his hands on the table.

"Of course," said Heathcliff, rising from the table. The other four leaders stared at him in shock, and I rose from the table to follow him to a back room. He turned, looking over me at the table. "Go on, you don't need me to coordinate scouting parties," he said, opening the door and gesturing me inside a small office. I sat down in front of his desk, and he took his spot behind it. "I'm sorry about them, they can be quite protective."

"It's fine. I wouldn't trust me either."

"So, you said you wanted to talk? What about?"

"You know." He nodded.

"A man can hope, but…yes, I announced that I was part of the beta test."

"Why?"

"I couldn't allow you to continue shouldering that burden."

"I've been shouldering it just fine for almost a year now. Don't give me that moral bullshit, Heathcliff. What's your real goal?"

He smiled, sagging his head. "I was hoping to eventually invite you to join the guild." I scoffed, a small laugh escaping my hood.

"I don't pla-."

"Play well with others, yes. That's the excuse you've been giving for a year now. But think about it. Two Beta Testers-."

"Beaters," I said, interrupting. "Joining a guild isn't going to change their view of me."

"Fine, two Beaters leading the game's strongest guild. They would sing songs of our exploits."

"Yeah, well…"I said, rising from the table, "Red and white aren't my colors."

"Perhaps you'd be up to some competition?"

"I'm listening."

"A duel. I win, you join the guild. You win, I'll give you whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" I asked, turning back. I could get access to their armory. I could get backup against the yellow guilds that stalked the middle floors, at least against one of them. I could…I could get a house.

"Anything."

"There's a property in Lindas. I win, you buy it for me."

"Deal."

"It's a duel, then?"

"Give me an hour. Read or something, while I send some messages. I want everyone to watch you lose," he said jokingly, opening up the message function on his menu.

"Good luck, old man," I said jokingly, leaning against the wall. I lowered my head, slid down the wall, and took a catnap.

(X)

I woke up, and the alert function in the corner of my display was flashing. I opened my menu, and noted 17 messages from Liz. Shit. I opened one, and read the all caps "WHAT THE HELL?! YOU'RE DUELING HEATHCLIFF?! MESSAGE ME BACK, DAMMIT!" I didn't bother to read the rest. I noticed Heathcliff was still sitting at his desk. "Is it all set up?" I asked.

"Just finished cashing in a favor to get the arena on floor 27."

"Shall we leave then?" He nodded, and I rose from the floor.

"Will we be using Unique Skills?" he asked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

(X)

I was under the crowd area of the Arena, waiting for the signal to leave and confront Heathcliff. I'd seen him fight a thousand times. He fought by waiting for you to come to him, blocking all attacks with that shield of his, then counter attacking. If I could prevent that counter attack…I'd have him on the ropes. 'Okay, Seth. If you lose this fight, you'll be forced to join a guild, work among those who secretly hate you, and will never trust you. And if you win…You can do this. It's not like his health has never fallen into the yellow- OH WAIT. Why did I agree to this?' Suddenly, I was wheeled around, and a mass of pink hair slammed into my chest. "You idiot!" shouted Liz. "What are you doing?"

"Heathcliff wanted me to duel him."

"Yeah, and if you lose, you have to join him."

"Would it really be that bad? I'd get to work with Asuna."

"You'd hate it, and we both know it."

"Then I better not lose."

"The news didn't say what you get out of this."

"Yeah?"

"So why?"

"Would you believe the thrill of the fight?" I asked dramatically.

"No."

"Darn." The bell tolled. I gave Liz a tight hug before walking through the gate.

We stood 10 meters from each other in the center of the arena. I opened my menu, selecting the anonymous option before challenging Heathcliff. He chuckled. "What? I don't get your name?"

"Maybe if you win, I'll tell it to you," I shouted back.

"First strike alright with you?"

"Go for it." I adjusted my hood as the countdown began, and I drew my scythe. He drew his sword from the sheath in the shield, and readied his guard. I crouched into my combat position as the countdown hit five. When it hit zero, we dashed forward at each other.

I slammed my scythe into the shield, stepping back as if to ready a downward swing. He pressed the advantage, swinging his sword into the intentional gap. I slipped my scythe into one hand, sidestepping the strike and getting in close. I grabbed the handguard just above his fingers, giving an unnoticeable wink before using my strength factor to rip the sword from his grip. It was then that I activated my disguise skill, the sword shrinking to the size of a ruler in my hand. I squeezed, knowing that a democratic leader like Heathcliff doesn't get upgrades often, usually just before boss fights. So his gear probably had low durability, tired from clearing the fields of 48. Sure enough, the weapon shattered soon, and my hand clasped empty air.

Glancing back at Heathcliff's shocked expression, I slammed my scythe's pole under his shield, and, using my knee as a fulcrum, launched it into the air, the straps on his arm carrying him with it. He was flying through the air, about a foot higher than me. I took my scythe and swung it down to finish him in mid-air. The point was about a foot away from him…when he turned in midair.

This is not as easy as old video games make it look. It takes training, precision, timing, correct air conditions, and more than a fraction of a second in which to perform it. In this case…It shouldn't have been possible.

But he spun in midair, blocking the strike with his shield. But the force of the strike still drove him back. Normally, his leg muscles would have absorbed the shock, but he was 16 feet off the ground. He slammed towards the ground, driving into the dirt, his health bar going down a fraction of an inch from fall damage. First strike. I won.

The system caught up with me a second later, counting the strike and putting the congratulations message above my head. I deactivated the skill, shrinking back to normal size, flipping my hood up midair and raising my bandanna as I stood. I walked to Heathcliff, offering him a hand up. He clasped my hand, and I dragged the guy to his feet. "That was an impressive strategy," he said. "I expected you to just pick me up and throw me."

"Nah, you would have just cut my hand."

"Well, a deal's a deal. A messenger will track you down, and you just have to show him the property you want him to buy."

"Great. Actually, send him to Lisbeth's Smith Shop in Taft at midnight."

"That'll work."

"Thank you, Heathcliff. That was a good fight."

"I'll have to find a counter for that strategy."

"You do that," I said, turning and giving a wave, completely ignoring the crowd. I guided Liz to the side of the tunnel. "We're going home," I said, pulling out a teleport crystal.

(X)

I eventually coaxed Liz to go to sleep, promising to tell her about what I got from the duel in the morning. After traveling to Lindas with the messenger, he gave me the Col required to buy the house, and I travelled back to Taft.

I walked in the front of the shop, being one of the only people allowed to enter it after hours. I walked upstairs and knocked on Liz's bedroom door. There was a sleepy "Who is it?" from inside.

"Seth," I said.

"Oh. Come in," she said, and there was a poof as I imagined her hitting her head back into the pillow. I opened the door, and came across the exact image I'd imagined, her laying on the bed, her head shoved into the fluffy pillow. "Why are you messing with my sleep?"

"I want to show you something."

"But I'm tired…" she groaned.

"I'll carry you again. Hell, you can sleep on the way. But you'll want to see this." She groaned, sitting up in bed.

"If you promise never to wake me up at," her eyes flicked to the corner of her display, "1:54 AM again, you can carry me to wherever." I walked over, chuckling, and she got onto my back again. I didn't even finish getting down the street before she was asleep again.

I got to Lindas without her waking up, and went to the front of the shop before jostling her awake. "Huh? What…" Her head raised, and she noticed where we were. "Why are we here?"

"I thought you'd like to see your new home." She gasped, and her grip slipped. She fell off my back, and I raised her to her feet. She practically sprinted inside, her eyes absorbing every bit that she could look at, each part and the knowledge that it was hers increasing her amazement. I stood in the doorway, my hood down, smiling as I watched her laugh and spin around in the middle of the store.

"She's like an angel," I thought. She stopped and gave me a weird look. 'Shit, I said that out loud.' She walked over to me, grinning and raising an eyebrow.

"An angel?" she asked. I couldn't help but smile. "Well, I think this angel's been banned from heaven."

"Oh? And why's that?" I asked. She leaned up and in, giving me one of her rare but coveted kisses.

"She fell in love with Death," she said, smiling as tears welled up in her eyes.

Did she just…She did…She said the L-word. The word I'd been thinking for a few weeks now, but never had the courage to say.

"And he loved her," I said, stealing another kiss. I opened my menu off to the side, conjuring an item from my inventory. The item Carmine had given me after I rescued Greg. It was a ring. A blank ring, which meant…It could be used for marriage. "And he stole her away…and asked her to marry him." Her jaw dropped a bit, and her hand rushed to cover it. The tears started to flow.

"And she said yes."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Authors Note: We get some cute moments with Liz in this chapter, along with the intro of a certain black haired kid. So yeah, enjoy. Just so you guys know, this won't be ending anytime soon. I've got ideas, man. IDEAS.**

December 7th 2023

I tore off my coat, not bothering to put it back into my inventory as I collapsed onto the couch in the bedroom of Liz's shop. I was exhausted, but we'd beaten the floor 48 boss. We were almost half-way home. "Uh-uh," said Liz, entering the bedroom. "You can't sleep on my couch anymore."

"Where do you suggest I go?" I asked, unmoving.

"Well, we are married," she said, sitting on the bed. "You can stay in bed with me." I stood, raising an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"You can just think of me as the warmest, softest, cutest body pillow ever!" (REFERENCE! But if I'm being honest, I don't know what from. I just saw it online and went "I CAN USE THAT." So yeah.)

"The hell's a body pillow?" I asked, taking a step towards the bed. She laughed, throwing her head back and laying down on the sheets.

"Asuna told me to say that," she said, keeping an eye on me as I got into bed. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me, kissing her forehead.

"I'd rather think of you as my beautiful wife."

(X)

I groggily woke the next morning, Liz still curled up against my chest. I slowly separated from her, trying not to wake her, but was unsuccessful as she groaned. "No…" she moaned. I checked the time.

"It's time to get to work, Liz."

"But sleep…"

"You've got that client coming in today, you don't want to miss him."

"True…" She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. I checked the news. "Anything interesting?" she asked, getting out of bed.

"Laughing Coffin is at it again," I said, noting that several players had tried to confront the guild, but were slaughtered. Then I dropped the coat I was about to equip. I'd read the headline 'Frontline Player Kirito, AKA The Black Swordsman, claims his Beta Tester status, Aincrad Liberation Force to check validity.'

"Fuck," I muttered, scooping up my coat and throwing it on.

"What is it?" asked Liz.

"Some stupid kid is trying to get his 15 minutes of fame by saying he's a beater, and the Army isn't happy," I said, moving for the door.

"Are you going to help?"

"I took the burden to protect the rest. If the Army sees fit to imprison this kid because he's a beta tester, who knows what the other inmates will do to him."

"Why haven't they imprisoned you?"

"They're too scared," I said, opening the door. "I can use that."

(X)

I raced towards the field, chasing the backs of the Army platoon that I could see. They never left floor 1 anymore, so any up here must have been the ones I was looking for. I chased after them as they surrounded a black-haired kid, and I could hear distant questions being asked. The kid was on edge, his hand creeping slowly towards his sword. The Army was tense, and I think were about to give the order to attack when I landed in the middle of the circle. I turned, facing who I thought was the leader, and dropped my voice to the gravel.

"I want to make something clear. This kid is under my protection. To get him, you go through me. And we all know what will happen in THAT battle. Any questions before I send you back to your bosses in pieces?" The leader ground his teeth, drawing his sword.

"I am Lieutenant Colonel Corvatz of the Aincrad Liberation Army, and I command your respect!"

"No. You demand my attention. (Another Reference, Hellsing Ultimate Abridged) Congratulations. You've gotten it." I drew my scythe. "Who wants to try first?" His men went running, and the Colonel reluctantly retreated after them.

I scoffed, sheathing my scythe and turning to the kid. "Kirito, was it? You want to tell me what the hell you're doing?" Looking him in the eyes, a small smile ghosted across his lips.

"It's really you," he said, awestricken. I recognized him.

"You were that kid from the first boss fight! I told you specifically that I was giving you all a chance!"

"I know! I told everyone else, but…I needed to talk to you."

"So you thought the best way to attract my attention was to out yourself as a Beater?"

"You went straight to Heathcliff when he did it."

"But he had a guild to protect him."

It was his turn to scoff. "I don't need a guild."

"But you need to talk to me." He huffed in frustration. "I'm here. Talk."

"I had an idea. If we go around helping people, we could prove to at least some that Beaters aren't assholes." This was his grand idea?

"Oh wow, like I haven't thought of that before. I tried that from floors 3 to 7, almost died 4 times. People take advantage of those who want to help. You want a turn, go ahead." I turned to leave. If this kid wanted to kill himself to prove something, I wanted nothing to do with it.

"Wait! Don't go! I haven't finished!" I paused. I could almost hear the emptiness in his voice when he continued. "I was in a guild a few months ago…And they died. I heard about an item that spawns on Christmas Eve, which can resurrect players. I'm level 60, I'm not asking you to carry me, but…I might need some help getting it."

"Who's to say the item even works anymore?"

"As long as there's a chance, I have to try."

I thought about Liz dying, the amount of work I'd put into bringing her back, completely abandoning the frontlines to pursue any lead. "I can understand that."

"Then you'll help me?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, I'll help you."

"I'll just add you to my friends list, and I can message you where to meet me in a few weeks?"

Adding me to his friends list would give him my name. I didn't want to…But there was something innocent about him that made me want to trust him. Besides, worst case scenario, everyone stops calling me the Reaper. "Fine." I added him to my almost non-existent friends list.

"Seth?" he asked, checking my name. "A bit simpler than I expected."

"Tell it to anyone, and I'll take you down."

"Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "You're one of the few in this world I don't want to piss off."

(X)

It was late when I got back from grinding a hunting spot on 49, and I entered the dark shop. I crept upstairs, removing my coat as I tried not to wake the obviously sleeping Liz. I slipped under the sheets, resting my head against the pillow. I thought I'd pulled it off, when she tapped my face. Damn. But all she did was open her arms and say, "Come. Warmth." I jostled a little closer, and her arms closed around me, resting her cheek on mine. I grinned. Going to that shop a few months ago was undoubtedly the best thing that ever happened to me.

(X)

I was just putting the finishing touches on Liz's Christmas present when I got Kirito's message. "Meet me in Myugen's town square." That was it. Myugen was one of the main towns on floor 49, and I'd gone shopping there several times, picking up an invaluable ring from an event involving a shopkeeper, a dragon, and herd of walking mushroom men. Badass equipment was more than enough of a tradeoff for that particular weird quest.

I hid Liz's present in a secret compartment of our room, then threw on my cloak and headed downstairs. Liz was coming out of the forge, wiping her hands on her apron. "You going to meet that Kirito kid?" she asked.

"Yeah, I should be back in a couple of hours."

"Can I come with you?" she asked.

"What for?"

"Well if it'll take a couple of hours, I want to be with you when it hits midnight. Spend our entire holiday together, that kind of stuff."

"It won't take that long. I'll use a teleport crystal if I have to."

(X)

I walked up to the bench where Kirito was sitting, seating myself beside him. "Good to see you're still alive, kid," I said.

"Wish you'd quit calling me that," he replied, bowing his head lower.

"Not gonna happen anytime soon." We waited for god knows what in uncomfortable silence before I spoke. "So are we going to do this?"

"Waiting for an info source. Here she comes now," he said, unmoving. As if on cue, a hooded figure leaned up against the back of the bench, speaking to Kirito without looking at him.

"Lately, you've been taking big risks with your level-raising," she said.

"Did you get any new information?" he asked.

"Nothing worth charging money for."

"What a useless information broker. Pretty unusual for you," he replied, spewing out the insult without caring.

"This is a first-time event. It wasn't in the beta test. There's no way to get information. On Christmas Eve, in other words, late tonight, the event boss 'Nicholas the Renegade,' will appear. Beneath a certain fir tree. The big guilds are searching pretty hard for it." Kirito stood, and I followed suit. "You have an idea where it is, don't you?"

"Maybe," he said, starting to walk off. I started to follow him, but the info broker grabbed the back of my coat. I turned to look at her, and she stared with wide eyes at me.

"It's good that you're going with him," she said. "He told me he was going to track you down, and I said you were either going to kill him or turn him over to the Army. He needs someone, or he'll kill himself trying to save everyone." I nodded.

"Thank you, I think," I said, turning to follow Kirito.

(X)

He was changing his equipment as he walked through the forest maze on floor 35, blue flashes of light accompanying the tones from his menu. "I got them killed," he barely whispered. I could tell he just needed to talk, so I just stayed silent as he continued. "I saved them from a trap, and in thanks they invited me to join their guild. I said yes. I didn't have many friends, and I was leagues above them, but it was nice. The leader went to buy a home, and we went out to search the maze tower. We found something that was obviously a trap, but I didn't say anything before they triggered it. They all died there. All three of them. I told the leader I was a beater, trying to apologize, and…he leapt off Aincrad.

"My arrogance…killed them. If I hadn't hidden my level…If we can defeat Nicholas, maybe I can bring Sachi's soul back. And maybe I'll be able to hear her last words." I didn't know who Sachi was, but from the pain in his voice, it was evident she was someone close. "No matter what words she uses to curse me, I must accept them."

"I got someone killed once," I said. He glanced sideways at me. "The first day. A friend I met foolishly accepted a HP-Zero duel, and I slept a few feet away from him, letting it all happen. I could…I could've helped. But I don't think he'd want to be brought back to this world…I took his last request, just before he died. That's another reason they call me the Grim Reaper. I collect the last words or requests of those dying, and I plan to relay them when we get out."

"I don't think I could handle that," he said, looking away. "Staring into the faces of the dying, accepting their last words. Carrying that type of burden…"

"Let's move on," I said, pointing to the beginning of the hunting field. We passed through the gate with a slight shimmer in the air, and we both took off at a sprint. There was the sound of someone teleporting, and he stopped, me slowing to a halt a few feet ahead of him.

A group of about 10 players teleported in, all sporting red and black gear. "Yo," said the guy at the front with spikey red hair.

"You followed me?" asked Kirito.

"Yeah," replied the other. "You're after the revival item?"

"Yeah."

"Don't risk your life on a stupid rumor. If you die in this game, you die for real. The moment our HP drops to zero, our brains in the real world-."

"Shut up," said Kirito.

"Fighting solo is crazy. Cut it out!"

"I'm not solo," he said, pointing at me. The group seemed to notice me as the front guy's eyes widened, and I heard several weapons being shifted in their sheaths as their handlers uneasily grasped them.

"Him?!" the guy asked. "He's worse than solo! Wherever he goes, death and destruction follows!" I lowered my head, the words stinging. "Join us…Whoever keeps the revival item drop keeps it, without hard feelings either way. That's fair, right?"

"Then there'd be no point. I have to get it myself." Kirito's hand grasped his sword, and the group readied their weapons.

"I can't let you die here, Kirito!" shouted the front guy. Suddenly, more teleported in around us. The Holy Dragon Alliance. Fuck.

"You were followed too, Klein," said Kirito.

"Looks that way," he said. "The Holy Dragon Alliance. They'd do anything for a rare weapon. What do we do?"

"I…"

"Damn it!" shouted Klein, drawing his katana. "Go, Kirito!"

"Klein…"

"Go! We'll hold them off!" Kirito reluctantly turned to go, nodding at me to follow him as he passed. I turned my back on the group, trusting they'd be able to battle the guild.

"Friends of yours?" I asked.

"Later," he muttered.

We got to the fir tree, glowing slightly blue from a light that seemed to be coming from within. A bell tolled somewhere, and you could hear bells ringing. Sleigh bells. Two lights streaked across the sky, and a mass of red fell down. It was as if Santa had been drawn by a demented three year old with hand cramps, then brought to life. He had a coat that was torn, only covering his forearms and lower body. He had blue skin, a beard that ran down to his waist, and eyes that pointed in two separate directions. 4 health bars. Kirito drew his sword, muttering "Shut up," under his breath.

I drew my scythe. "Should I use my skill?" I asked.

"No."

"Alright then," I said, and we both charged the roaring beast.

We fought like complete madmen. He had no regard for his health, so I spent half the time using potions and crystals on him. The other time was spent racking up bleeding effects that decimated Nicholas' health bar. Soon, the creature gave a final roar, and swung its axe down at Kirito, who deflected the blow, then jumped up, plowing his sword into the thing's gut. It exploded, and we both got an alert. He'd gotten the item. I'd gotten some boots.

He opened his menu, selecting the item, and reading its effect. He paused, the small smile that had been ghosting across his face fading in an instant. "What is it?" I asked. He lowered his face into his hands, forming the item into reality before tossing it to me. I caught it and examined it. 'Use within 5 seconds of player death.' Oh…Poor kid. I went over to him, placing the item in his hand. I can carry the weight of now 237 dead player's last words…But apparently I can't watch someone grieve. Just before I teleported, he groaned.

"All that…" he whispered. "I'm sorry, Sachi."

**Author's Note: So before the hardcore SAO fanboys bitch at me for Kirito's personality being different, it's supposed to be. He's more trusting, due to not being outed as a beater at the beginning of the game, and still has a bit of innocence about him, at least until that ending. The only question now is, do you guys want a Christmas chapter? Yes or no? Post in the reviews! Also, Ezekio? Your review brightened my day. Seriously guys, those few words you bother to type up are the only things keeping me going anymore.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I pause the story for a couple of days to work on some school stuff, and someone thinks I've killed off the story. If I kill off a story, I'll either delete it, or tell the readers. Trust me.**

December 25th 2023

I crept back into Liz's home, a few minutes after midnight. I entered the dark bedroom, thinking I'd pulled it off, but there was a tone, and the light lit up. Liz was standing next to the lamp, pink pajamas on, and her arms crossed. "You're late," she said.

"It's a few minutes," I replied, re-checking the time.

"Still late."

"What are you going to do?" I asked. "Kick me out? I technically own the place."

"How did the quest go?"

"…"

"Not well?"

"No. Ambushed by the Holy Dragon Alliance, and the item only worked a few seconds after death."

"Poor Kirito."

"That's what I thought."

There was a lapse in the conversation as we participated in a small pity session for the kid. "Should we do presents now or in the morning?" she asked, trying to return the conversation to its original casual nature.

"Morning. Right now, I just want to sleep," I said, removing my coat and switching my pants to soft pajamas. I collapsed face first into the pillow. She chuckled, switching off the light again. She crawled into bed next to me, nestling her forehead into my side. I turned onto my back, drawing her closer, and fell asleep.

I woke up to Liz shouting "It's Christmas!" right in my ear. I groaned, turning on my side, trying to fall back asleep. Liz laughed, shaking my side. "Wake up! C'mon, wake up!"

"Jeez," I said, rubbing my opening eyes. "You're like a little kid again."

"Oh, dear husband. I think you have me confused with someone else. I never grew up."

"One of the reasons I love you," I said, sitting up. Liz was bouncing slightly on the bed, biting her lip in anticipation. Very cute. "Well, go ahead. You're certainty excited enough." She grinned, jumping off the mattress and grabbing a wrapped gift from under it. She shoved the thing in my hands, then sat back down. I carefully unwrapped the box, then opened it.

There was a mass of black fabric in the box, which I pulled out. It unfolded into the shape of a torso. It was a sweater. I turned it around and nearly laughed. There was a skull sewn into the fabric, white felt over the black fabric.

"Do you like it?" she asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"I love it," I said, laying it on the bed. Her eyes filled with confusion.

"You're not going to put it on?"

"Well, I was going to get your-." She cut me off by picking up the sweater and throwing it onto my head.

"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of that sweater you're going to put on."

"Alright, alright," I said, slipping the sweater over my shirt. I stretched my arms out, modeling it. "Good?"

"Perfect," she said. "Now! What'd you get me?"

"I didn't have time to wrap it, so you'll have to close your eyes," I said. She playfully covered her eyes with her hands, and I went to a hole in the wall, covered by a simple painting I'd bought specifically to cover the hole. I grabbed the present from the cubby in the wall, resealing the hiding spot and getting back into bed. "Open up."

Her hands shot away, and she glanced around, expecting something big. But all I had in my hand, was a necklace.

It had a gold chain, and the pendant appeared to be a flame. The tufts of flame at the top were made of diamonds, giving the appearance of outermost part of fire being white. The core, however, was where the cool bit was. It was a volcanic rune, the stone I'd brought to her the first day we'd met, and it was bright red.

"Whoa!" she shouted, taking it out of my hands. "It's…It's beautiful."

"And it's got a couple of boosts," I said. "The main one being plus 10% luck when forging." Her eyes lit up even more. She turned her back, raising up her hair.

"Put it on me," she said. I chuckled. She could have just equipped it, but she wanted me to do the honors. I took the latch from her and connected it at the back of her neck. She turned around, her eyes lit up with joy. She leaned forward, catching my lips with hers. We stayed like that for a while. There were no efforts to deepen the kiss. There was no rush. There was just the contentment of being together.

Eventually, she leaned back, breaking the connection. There was a pause, and then I slapped the mattress, rising to my feet. "Time for breakfast," I said, heading for the door.

"You're going to cook?" she asked, no doubt thinking of the tasteless sandwiches I'd made the last time I entered the kitchen.

"I've been practicing for weeks! You're not stealing this from me!"

(X)

December 31st 2023

Liz and I, like many couples, were gathered around the large clock in the town square of Panarze on floor 24. We were waiting for New Years, and the subsequent New Year's kisses that would follow. "I'm nervous," said Liz, rubbing her fist into her other hand.

"Why?" I asked. "It's not like we haven't kissed before," I said.

"Yeah," she replied, not looking at me. "But never in public like this."

"When have you ever been bashful?" I asked.

"I was more worried about you," she replied, starting to warm up. "Who will fear Death if they know he's got such a beautiful wife?"

"Fear and Jealousy go hand in hand."

"True." We glanced back up as the clock hit the one-minute mark. "It's almost time. There's something really romantic about the first act of a year being kissing the one you love."

"Agreed. Although…" There was a pause.

"What?"

"Isn't there something sweet in it being the last thing you do in a year as well?" I leaned down, my arm wrapping around her waist as the clock hit 15. "The last words I say of 2023 are…" Just before our lips connected, I whispered. "I love you, Lisbeth."

The clock struck midnight, and there were vague sounds of cheering around us, but I was lost in the kiss. There was a burning in my chest, the coolness of the air freezing my body as the connection warmed my heart. I got lost in that fuzzy passion that dared to challenge the cold weather.

February 23rd, 2024

I was heading back to the Teleport gate when I got a message from Kirito. "Hey, can you help me?"

"What with?" I sent back. The kid was pretty freaking strong, only a level lower than me. If it was something big, I wanted to know.

"There's this kid I found, and she needs help reviving her pet. I'd do it, but I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"None of your business." Woah. Bit of a rude response, but I'd respect his privacy.

"Where should I meet the two of you?"

"Hill of Memories. Tomorrow morning. It'll just be her."

"I'll be there. Who should I look for?"

"Small girl. Brown hair. Two pigtails. Red tunic. Name's Silica."

"Does she know who she's looking for?"

"No. Try not to scare her."

"You could just tell her."

"Where's the fun in that?"

(X)

I was standing in the field of flowers, waiting for someone who fitted the description to come through the gate. I glanced around at the couples walking around. I'd have to take Liz here.

Liz was currently on a three day quest to get some ores. I would have gone with her, but Asuna volunteered first. The gate glowed, and my eyes were attracted to it, watching as a small girl who fitted my description walked out of the gate and immediately was attracted to the flowers. She bent down, smiling and laughing at the plants. I walked over, and I heard her cry out "It's like a dream!" I walked up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped slightly, turning around. She took in my appearance.

"Are you Silica?" I asked. She seemed a bit stunned, staring blatantly at my outfit, and the contrasting background. I waved my hand in front of her face, and she shook her head, returning to reality.

"Yes. Okay…Are you Kirito's friend?"

"I am. Shall we get going?"

"Sure."

We walked up to the bridge, pausing just before we left the safe zone. I stopped, turning to her. "One thing before we get out here. I don't know how strong you are, but if you need my help, it's not much. So I'm going with you on one condition. You do whatever I say, when I say it."

"O-of course-."

"I don't think you know what that entails. If I tell you to fight, you fight with all you have. If I tell you to hide, you must never be seen. If I tell you to run and leave me behind to die," I said, pulling out a teleport crystal, "you use this to go to whatever town you want, and forget about me."

"But-."

"Promise me."

"I-I promise." She took the crystal.

"Then let's get going." I walked ahead, but she still didn't move. "Well, come on."

"Why are you doing this?"

"What?"

"Why help me?"

To be honest…I wasn't sure.

"Kirito's my friend, and this is a favor. And…" The word slipped out before I could stop it. Damn it.

"And?"

"You kind of look like my cousin." I turned before she could press the issue, and I heard her footsteps start to follow. I wasn't wrong. She was Amy in front of me, as if she'd put a brown wig over her long black hair, replaced her glasses with contacts, and gotten an inch shorter. It kind of bothered me, seeing someone so close to me in this Death Game.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"Not many people earn that." I shot a sideways glance at her downtrodden face. "But we'll see about you. We're the only two here, so if you talk, I'll know you're talking to me."

"But-." Two tendrils shot out, grabbing her around the ankles and yanking her up into the air. I turned, recognizing the weak Plant Man monster. It looked menacing, but I'd seen level 30s take it out. It was holding her aloft, upside down above its head, but she was more concerned about keeping her skirt up than fighting. It roared, and she screamed, waving her dagger around wildly.

"Calm down," I called. "It's really weak! Just hit it."

"Save me! Don't look, but save me!"

"That's not possible."

"S-stupid thing…That's enough!" she muttered, grabbing one of the tendrils and swiping her dagger through it. She reached up, cutting the other tendril before falling down with a shout and a sword skill. The Plant Man exploded and Silica landed on her feet. "Did you see?" she asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Nope."

As we walked, I grew more comfortable in her ramblings about the feathered dragon Pina, and the real life cat equivalent. I told her about Lisbeth, the 'crazy blacksmith I stumbled into and married. In that order.' I drew my bandanna down as she asked a question. "Can I ask about your cousin?"

"Why?" I responded, knocking aside the Venus fly trap with my scythe. It shot back, and I sprung forward, chopping its head off. "All of a sudden?"

"You said I look like her." She looked at her feet as we continued, refusing to look me in the eye. "I know it's impolite to ask about the real world, but would it be alright?" I shut my eyes, deciding carefully what to tell her.

"I grew up in Japan, but my parents are American, and so is she. My father got a job here while my mother was pregnant with me, and they moved here, leaving their family behind. She still visits us, every summer. I take her around, show her the sights."

"Bet your friends like her," she said.

"I…I don't have many friends. But yeah, the old lady next door adores her." I let her have the next monster, and recovered from the slight emotional toll talking about Amy put me through. She sliced up along its height, splitting the beast in half, and I smiled as the congratulations screen informed her she'd leveled up to 45. She smiled, stalking ahead…and activated a trap.

Pink tendrils sprouted from the ground, enveloping her. A purple tube rose from the ground, raising her up in a mass of flesh. She screamed once before I could slice it up with my scythe. She fell down, letting out an "Ouch" as she hit the ground. She grinned before clapping her hands around her skirt again. I let out a laugh, raising my head after my first good laugh in a while. I looked at her indignant face, a grin still on my face.

"Seth," I said.

"What?"

"My name. It's Seth."

(X)

We walked up the last hill, seeing the monument in the distance. "The flower of revival is here?" she asked, looking around.

"Yeah, should be up there," I said, pointing. She ran up, and I walked slowly behind her as the monument glowed, the flower sprouting out of the light. She looked back at me, and I nodded encouragingly as she plucked the flower. It added itself to her inventory, the menu displaying "Pneuma Flower".

"This will bring Pina back?" she asked.

"It should. Let's head back to town first, though. It might not work if it's not in a safe zone, and I don't want to go through the dungeon again."

"Yeah." We started on the way back.

(X)

We were halfway across the bridge when there was a shout. "Wait!" I turned around, seeing Kirito running up behind us. He passed between us, looking at the trees in front of us. "Whoever's behind those trees, come out!"

"Were you following us?" I asked.

"Sorry," he said. "I used the two of you as bait." A red-haired woman walked out from behind the tree, cradling a polespear. "And it seems that it worked."

"R-Rosalia?" asked Silica.

"Friend of yours?" I asked.

"Old party member."

"If you can see through my hiding skill, your detection skill must be quite high, Swordsman. It appears the girl managed to retrieve the Pneuma Flower. Congratulations. Now hand it over."

"W-What are you talking about?" asked Silica.

"That's not going to happen, Rosalia," I said, stepping up to where Kirito had made a stand in front of us.

"Or should we refer to you by your title, Leader of the orange guild, Titan's Hand?" asked Kirito.

"But she's green!" shouted Silica.

"It's a simple trick. The green players assess a group, and lead them into a trap that the yellow players set," said Kirito, still staring down Rosalia. "That was one of your friends listening to us last night, right?" I raised my eyebrows. Nobody had told me that.

"Then, the reason we were in the same party for two weeks…" muttered Silica.

"That's right," said Rosalia. "I was assessing its strength, while waiting for them to earn money from adventures. You were the prey I was most anticipating. It was unfortunate that you left, but then you said you were getting a rare time. However, you knew all that," she said, talking to Kirito, "and you sent your friend into danger, and then came back yourself. Are you an idiot? Or did she actually seduce the both of you?"

"No, neither of the above," Kirito said confidently. "I've been searching for you, Rosalia."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ten days ago, you attacked a guild called the Silver Flags. Four people, all but the leader, died."

"Oh, the ones with no money…"

"Their leader went from the warp point to the front lines, from morning to night, begging someone to avenge them. But he didn't want you killed. He wanted someone to jail you. Can you understand how he felt?"

"Nope…What kind of idiot would take this seriously? There's no proof that killing someone here means they die in real life. Anyway, shouldn't you be more concerned for yourselves?" she asked, clicking her fingers. 7 more people emerged from the trees, all but one of them yellow.

"Silica, get back," I said.

"But-."

"Silica. Get. Back." I said. "Get the crystal ready, just in case."

"There are too many!"

"Aw, you think they're a threat. Just give us a minute," I said, drawing my scythe. I gestured to the space between us and the men. "Shall I?" I asked. Kirito shrugged his shoulders, and I took that to mean 'Go ahead'. I walked forward, raising my bandanna and I could hear the whispers among the men.

"Black jacket…can't see his face…scythe…Could it be…The Reaper?"

"Rosalia, this is the beater who transforms and solos bosses…He's in the lead group!"

"Someone from the lead group wouldn't be down here! Go get him, and take everything he owns!" The players readied their weapons, and sprung forward.

The first attack was a diagonal slice that I sidestepped. The second was a stab that I deflected with my scythe, shoving it to the side. The third was a slice at my head that I ducked under, staying down to dodge the fourth and fifth. The sixth I had to jump over, using my opponents head to push off and over the seventh attack. It didn't take long for the battle to devolve into mindless swinging, and me deflecting and dodging without having to even think about what I was doing. It was just instinct.

After about a minute, they were standing in a circle around me, breathing heavily. "C'mon guys, stop trying to hit me and hit me!" I said, spinning in a circle. "No? No takers?" I grinned widely. "60 attacks in as many seconds, none of them hits. Pathetic."

"What's going on?" one asked.

"Why can't we hit him?"

"It's simple really," I replied. "Movements here are only as fast as you can think, and your agility stat will allow. I simply think faster than you, and, not to brag, but my stats are all VERY high."

"Yes," said Rosalia, her gaze shifting. "But I'm guessing poor Silica's aren't." That did it.

I was little more than a blur as I dashed behind her, using the small handle on my scythe to hold the blade to the woman's throat. "Give an order," I spat out, "and I'll show you why they call me the Reaper."

"My client spent his entire fortune to buy this corridor crystal. It's set to take you to prison. You're all going there!" Kirito shouted, glancing around at the men that once surrounded me.

Rosalia gripped her spear tighter, hissing out to me. "If you hurt a green player, you'll turn yellow."

I drew the blade even closer to her throat. "I'm solo. I'd only have one person to explain myself to, and I don't think she'd care. So go ahead. Give me a reason." I touched the cold steel blade to her throat, not pressing hard enough to activate an attack. "I'm begging you." She slowly dropped the pole spear, letting it hit the ground. I removed the blade, shoving her forward. "Do it, Kirito."

(X)

After throwing Titan's Hand into the portal, we all entered the safe zone. Kirito and Silica headed for the town, but I started for the teleport gate. "Wait!" Silica shouted, coming up behind me. I turned to see her slightly confused face. "You're not coming?"

"I'm Death. I don't really do life," I replied.

She chuckled. "But that's just an act, right?"

I turned my head slightly, refusing to look her in the eyes. "Yeah. Just an act…" She didn't understand that I needed this act to keep me sane in this world. I was surprised when she sprung forward, throwing her arms around my waist.

"Thank you, anyway. Pina and I'll come visit you!"

"Yeah…Sure. Thanks, Silica."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Authors Note: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, but...For one thing, this was a two-parter I had to convert into words, plus my computer decided "Oh, you don't want to download Windows 8.1? Okay, you can do that, but you'll have to restart your computer every 30 minutes, because I'll be giving you unremovable pop-ups that you won't be able to figure out how to turn off." So...yeah. Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!**

April 11th, 2024

I came home from the frontlines on floor 59 to the vice-leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath interrogating my wife. "Are you sure there isn't anything?" asked Asuna, a panicked tone in her voice.

"For the thousandth time, no," Lisbeth droned, as if she'd really said it a thousand times.

"Shop's closed, boys and girls," I said, walking in the door. Asuna whirled around, taking me in, then glancing back at Liz.

"I still don't know why you married him, Liz," she said.

"You should see him with the hood off," Liz replied, a grin spreading across her face. "Speaking of which, it's about time," she said, pointing at me. "She shows up often enough, it's time she saw your face." I glared at her, which she couldn't see (but in all odds, probably knew I was doing), and she glared back.

I didn't have to keep up the Death persona around Asuna, and in this world, nothing as trivial as eye color would keep someone from trusting you…but there was still that hesitation that 16 years of being bullied brought.

After a few moments, I sighed, lowering the bandanna and dropping the hood. I stood stock still, watching as Asuna took in my appearance. She huffed. "Not half bad, Liz," she said, turning back to the counter.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" I asked, walking up to the counter. "I'm gonna need some Crust Ores I found bound to my scythe."

"Later. Right now, I've got to deal with someone insane."

"Who?"

She jerked her head at Asuna. "Who else is here?"

"I'm not insane! I watched it happen!"

"Watched what happen?" I asked.

"I saw a man die in a safe zone today," she said.

"That's not possible."

"Don't you think I know that? It wasn't a duel PK, there was no congratulations screen. He was hung from the top of a church, a barbed weapon stuck in his chest. He died, and Kirito and I have no idea what happened."

"Kirito?" I asked. "He's working on this too?"

"More because I can't shake him, and he's not a terrible detective. We checked with Egil, and there was nothing special about the weapon. I was checking with her," Asuna said, pointing to Liz, who'd gone into the forge, "to see if there were any black market blacksmith tricks."

"Where is the weapon?" I asked.

"We left it with Egil. It's safer that way."

"Makes sense. Any suspects?"

"The weapon was made by a guy named Grimlock."

"Well, I'll be going with you tomorrow." I said it as a statement, not a question.

"What?!" shouted Asuna. "You'd be risking your life for something you weren't involved in!"

"If people's lives are on the line, I have to be there, just in case! Those messages Heathcliff has you fill out before huge battles, messages to your family? Last words, requests? Who do you think he sends them to?" She stared at me, a mix of confusion and rage filling up in her eyes.

"Y-you read-."

"No. I only read those of the already dead. The secrets of the living aren't mine to know, nor do they interest me." I bent my head down, again realizing the scope of the weight on me. I had to survive. I owed it to God knows how many dead…

"How many?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"How many are there, the requests you have to carry if you get back?"

"700 and something. It's been up since the guild leaders started sending me their member's wills. 730 last time I counted, but it's probably more."

"I don't want you to add to that list."

"Then stop people dying."

"…"

"Until you can manage that, I have to be there. Unless you can guarantee the safety of everyone involved in the investigation, I WANT to be there. I need to be there. Besides…If there's a way to kill in a safe zone, I'd have to stay here."

"Why's that?! You're one of the highest players on the front lines!"

"I'd have to protect her," I said, nodding towards the forge. "I'd always be glancing towards my ring, begging for it not to shatter…"

"…Floor 57. Martin. Meet Kirito at the Teleport Gate, and we'll all meet up."

"I'll be there. Thank you, Asuna."

"I'm sorry that you feel you need to help."

"It's a blessing to everyone else."

"This is going to bite you in the butt. You're handing out roses. Everyone else gets the beauty, you get the thorns."

"You get used to the sting," I said, chuckling slightly. She shook her head and walked out. Liz came out of the forge, a puzzled look on her face.

"Did Asuna leave?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"That's a shame," she said, her face falling. "She only comes around for equipment anymore, she hardly comes to visit."

"Can you blame her?" I asked. "She's one of the leaders on the frontlines."

"So are you, and you come back every day."

"I live here."

"True." I laughed, and she blushed. "Don't laugh at me," she said indignantly.

"Not possible. You're too cute."

(X)

I was introduced to a small built girl with freckles, blue hair and blue eyes named Yoruko. She showed slight panic early on when I showed up, but after lowering my bandanna in the empty restaurant and some explaining, she calmed down and began to explain. The victim's name was Kains, the murder weapon was a barbed sword named Guilty Thorn, and the witness and the victim knew each other, having been members in a previous guild. Sorry if I'm being a bit professional about this, but I've been well versed in investigation terminology.

I've said that my dad works in a magazine. He writes crime stories, a few pages long that get published every week. He includes all the clues that you need to solve the mystery in the story, and the next week, the answer is published along with the next story. None of this was new to me, just more real.

"Hey, Yoruko, have you heard the name 'Grimlock'?" asked Asuna.

Yoruko tensed, her eyes widening. "Yes," she said. "He was a member of the guild that Kains and I were once in." Kirito nodded to Asuna, and I leaned back, taking in this new information.

"When we had the sword stuck in Kains' chest appraised, we found it was made by Grimlock." Her eyes widened, and her hands shot to her mouth.

"Can you think of any reason why Grimlock would want to hurt Kains?" I asked.

"…Yes, I can. I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you yesterday, but…with him here it's probably for the best. Also…I wanted to forget. It's something I don't really want to remember. But, I'll tell you. What destroyed our guild…" It started to rain outside, and it provided white noise as she began her story.

"Our guild's name was Golden Apple. Six months ago, a rare monster we defeated dropped a powerful ring that raised agility by 20." I raised my eyebrows. That was extremely good for this game, six months ago at least. My non marriage ring raised my strength factor by 30, and it would sell for 40,000 Col at a good shop. "We were divided on whether to use it for the guild, or sell it and split the earnings. But in the end, we put it by vote. The vote went 5-3 in favor of selling it. Our leader, Griselda, was going to stay overnight at a large town on the front lines, to give it to a broker. However, she never came back. Later, we learned that she'd died. I still don't know why."

"No one would leave a safe zone with that kind of rare item," said Kirito. "Which means a sleeping-PK?"

"Six months ago would have been just before the method really spread," suggested Asuna.

"But it's hard to think of it as a coincidence," I said. "Lady with a rare item just so happens to get PK'd, with the attacker having no idea of the item? I don't buy it."

"Agreed," said Kirito, placing his hand on his chin. "Whoever attacked her must have been a player who knew about the ring. In other words…"

"One of the other seven members of Golden Apple…" Yoruko said quietly.

"The most suspicious ones would have been those who wanted to keep it," I said, taking a sip of my drink.

"You mean they attacked Griselda to get the ring before it was sold?" Asuna asked.

"Exactly," I said, swallowing the water.

"Who's Grimlock?" asked Kirito.

"He was Griselda's husband," Yoruko said. "Just within the game, naturally. Griselda was a powerful swordsman. Pretty. And smart. Grimlock was a kind man who was always smiling. They made a great couple, and they got along well. If he was the one responsible for yesterday's murder, he must have be after the three who opposed selling the ring. Two of the three were myself and Kains." Kirito and Asuna seemed shocked, but when she'd mentioned that Grimlock was Griselda's husband, I'd already guessed revenge. Kains I'd guessed. Yoruko…not so much.

"Then who's the other?" asked Kirito.

"A tank named Schmidt," she replied. "I heard he's on the front lines now, with the Holy Dragon Alliance."

"Schmidt?" mused Kirito. "I've heard that name…"

"He leads the Holy Dragon Alliance's defense forces. He's a big lance user."

"Oh, him," Kirito replied.

"You know Schmidt?" asked Yoruko.

"I've only seen him a few times while clearing bosses," said Kirito.

"Could you let me talk to him?" she asked quickly. "He probably hasn't heard about what occurred. And what happened to Kains could happen to him…" Asuna glanced my way, and I gave a subtle nod.

"Let's call Schmidt," said Asuna. "I know someone at the Holy Dragon Alliance. If we go to their HQ, perhaps we can talk to him."

"Then first, we should get Yoruko to an inn," said Kirito. "Yoruko, don't leave the inn until we return."

"All right," she said, her shoulders sagging, and I could hear the fear in her voice.

"I could watch her," I suggested. The other three shot me weird looks. "If Kains could be killed in a safe zone, what's an inn for protection? I don't know Schmidt, and the Holy Dragon Alliance and I aren't on the best of terms anyway." They'd been going after my strength ring, and weren't happy when I grabbed it right in front of them. "I'll stay with Yoruko at the inn, and you two can get Schmidt and bring him to the inn. Is that alright with you?" I asked Yoruko. She smiled slightly.

"Yes, I think that would be safer."

"Well, if she agrees, then go for it," said Asuna, rising from the table.

(X)

After finding a room, I stationed myself with my scythe out next to the door. Yoruko had added a shawl over her green shirt, and was walking aimlessly around the room. "Are you sure I can't get you some tea?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked. I glanced at her, and saw a slight emptiness in her eyes. She was trying to keep all things normal.

"Sure," I said. "Actually, some tea would be great." While she bustled about in the small portable kitchen she carried around (I say kitchen, but it was just a teapot and portable stove), Kirito had started a group message with Asuna and I.

"How do you two think the murder was carried out?" Asuna asked, referring to Kains.

"I see three possibilities…" Kirito started. "The first is a fair duel. The second is an exploit."

"The third?" Asuna asked.

"Some skill we don't know about, which bypasses safe areas. Or possibly an item."

"I don't think the third one's possible," I sent.

"Why?" they both replied.

"It's unfair," I said. "I hate to admit it, but Kayaba Akihiko's rules are fair. Harsh, but fair. I can't imagine the game allowing murders in safe zones."

"Neither can I," said Kirito. The group message was closed after that. I looked back up as Yoruko handed me my tea, and I sipped on it as she sat and drunk her own.

"Is it good?" she asked.

"Very," I said. "Extremely sweet." A little too sweet, but I wasn't stupid enough to insult her. She smiled, and I smiled back. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Nervous," she said, glancing towards the open window. "Very nervous."

"I'd be surprised if you weren't, but I promise, nothing is coming through that door without my permission."

"Would it be okay if I left something with you, anyway?" she asked.

"What is it?"

"My will." There was a pause. "I've heard about what you do…or plan to do, anyway."

"You are NOT going to die," I said calmly.

"But…Just in case?" she asked. I sighed.

"Go ahead," I said, opening my list and making a new entry, marking it as a possibility.

"Find Griselda's grave…and pay my respects for me. She was a wonderful woman, and I didn't say it when I visited her grave."

"How have you visited her grave?" I asked. "We're still in here."

"We made an in game one, as well," she said. "On the 19th floor. The Hill of the Cross. It was very pretty."

"Anything else?" I asked, preparing to close the entry.

"Find Kains' grave as well. And tell him I'm sorry that I couldn't make it out for the both of us." I typed it in and saved it.

"You two were very close?" I asked.

"He was my boyfriend," she said.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Yeah…" We sat in silence for a long time before there was a knock at the door. I stood carefully, prepared to slam the door shut as I opened it. Kirito's head poked through the crack.

"We come in peace?" he said lightly. I shook my head and opened the door fully.

"That took a while," I said, stepping behind the wooden door so I could open it more.

"The leader was a bit reluctant about us running off with one of his leaders," said Asuna. "But he came around." They entered, Schmidt freezing when he saw me.

"That's…That…" he stuttered. I raised an eyebrow.

"Death?" I suggested. He hurriedly nodded, looking like a child who'd been scolded. Very amusing. "I'm helping with the investigation." He sat down in one of the chairs, Kirito leaning against a table to the side, and Asuna standing on Schmidt's other side. I leant back against the door. Then, I nodded to Yoruko, and she began to speak.

(X)

After the story, Schmidt was very nervous. His hand never left his chin as he rubbed it thoughtfully, and his leg started to tap when she mentioned who the weapon was made by. It still hadn't stopped by the time she finished her story.

"Are you sure that Kains was killed with Grimlock's weapon?" he asked.

"It is," she responded softly. His eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet.

"Why would Kains be killed after all this time?! He…Did he steal the ring? Was he the one that killed Griselda?" He fell back into the chair. "Does Grimlock plan to kill the three of us who opposed selling the ring? Is he after you and me, too?!"

"It could be another member, and Grimlock just made them the sword. Or perhaps it may be Griselda's revenge…Only a ghost could kill someone inside a safe zone." I raised my eyebrow. A ghost? We're in a video game. Everyone else acted dramatically. Kains' made scared moaning sounds, and Kirito and Asuna shot each other glances. Yoruko began to stand. "I stayed awake all last night, thinking…In the end, all of us were the ones that killed her! When that ring dropped, we shouldn't have ever voted…We should've just done what she wanted!" She shouted all of this very frantically. It was slightly alarming.

She backed up the window, keeping the front of her body turned towards us. "Grimlock was the only one who said we should simply let Griselda decide." She was now sitting on the edge of the window sill. "So he has the right to take revenge for Griselda on the rest of us."

"You're kidding me," Schmidt muttered. "You're kidding me…" he repeated. He put his face in his hands. "After all this time, six whole months…Why now?" He jumped to his feet. "You're okay with this, Yoruko? You're okay with being killed like this?" Kirito reached out, holding him back by his left arm. Yoruko seemed a bit precarious on the edge of the window, and I was about to call her back to a chair, or somewhere decent to sit…When her eyes widened in shock. Something was wrong. I dashed forward, sidestepping the chair as she turned…A barbed dagger stuck in her back. She fell out the window as I caught her, wrapped in my arms as we both plunged to the ground…

I thought that if I held on tight enough…If I got to her before she…She might live. But no. She shattered just before we hit the ground, the handle of the dagger that killed her tapping my arm as I hit the pavement.

I grabbed the dagger, squeezing it tightly, exerting as much outrage as I could into the weapon, stopping just before it shattered. "Damn it!" I shouted, slamming my hand into the ground. There was a shout from the window.

"Asuna, keep an eye on him," Kirito said as he jumped from the window to the building across. He must have seen something. I jumped onto the side of the building, pushing off the building back onto the inn, then repeating the process to wall-jump onto the building to run behind Kirito. I saw the same hooded figure he saw, and chucked the dagger as he threw a few throwing picks. All four bounced off him, a transparent purple-tinted shield forming around the targeted spots. He was an immortal object. What the hell? I jumped across an alley, landing on the same line of shops as he teleported, disappearing from the chase. I hadn't heard him shout where he was going, but, then again, I wasn't listening as I hadn't seen him holding a crystal. "Damn it," Kirito said, bunching his fists. He hopped down from the buildings, muttering under his breath. I jumped after him and we walked back to the inn.

(X)

"You idiots!" shouted Asuna when Kirito opened the door. She had her rapier out, poised to attack. "What were you thinking?" She grudgingly sheathed it. "Well? What happened?"

"It was no use," Kirito said, shaking his head. "He teleported away." I threw the silver dagger that killed Yoruko on the ground between the three of us. "The system protects the inns. I thought with Seth here she'd be safe." He hit the wall, the purple immortal object pop-up appearing again. "Damn it," he repeated.

"That robe was Griselda's," muttered Schmidt. "It was Griselda's ghost…She's come for revenge on us all!" He laughed. "Why couldn't a ghost PK in town?" He continued laughing, and I became worried about his mental health.

"That was no ghost," Kirito said. "The two safe area murders have to work using some logic that involves the system. They just have to."

"I agree. It's a video game," I said. "Give me one reason a ghost can be in a video game," I shouted to Schmidt, who was still laughing in his chair.

(X)

We were placed at a bench in a park, Kirito and Asuna sitting on the bench, me pacing back and forth in front of them. "Was that black robed figure really the ghost of Griselda?" asked Asuna. "Seeing those two deaths happen in front of me makes me wonder if it was true."

"No, that's impossible," said Kirito.

"Agreed," I said.

"A ghost wouldn't need a teleport crystal," said Kirito. That idea I hadn't even considered, dismissing the possibility of a ghost before wondering if a spirit would need a crystal. "A teleport crystal…" he repeated.

"What is it?" Asuna asked.

"No, it's nothing," he said. There was a pause, and Asuna manipulated her menu, producing two purple bundles, handing one to Kirito. "Here."

"Are you giving it to me?" asked Kirito.

"What else would I be doing? You think I'm showing it off or something?"

"U-Uh, then thanks," Kirito said, taking the bundle, unwrapping it to reveal a sandwich.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make you any, Seth," said Asuna. "I ran out of ingredients, and couldn't get to the shop before I had to meet you guys."

"It's fine," I said. My mind flashed back to Yoruko's eyes before she fell out the window. "I'm not hungry." I mused for a second. I'd seen hundreds of people die, and yet…I'd tried not to reflect on any of them since James that first day. Why was this one's death bothering me so much?

"Its durability is nearly at zero," said Asuna, "so you should eat up before it disappears."

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered. He bit into it, and paused. "This is really good," he said quietly before ravenously tearing into the meal. "When did you make this?" he asked.

"Didn't I say its durability was about to run out? I thought something like this might happen, so I prepared these this morning."

"I guess you are in charge of the Knights of the Blood Oath attack teams. Where is this from, anyway?"

"It wasn't for sale. Weren't you listening? I ran out of ingredients?" she said, as if trying to weed the answer out of a small child. "I _can_ cook, you know."

"W-Well, you could've put this up for auction and made yourself a lot of money," said Kirito, laughing. Asuna slammed her foot on the ground, startling Kirito and making him drop his sandwich, which shattered into polygons after hitting the ground.

"I don't have any more, got it?" said Asuna. "Or were you listening for that bit?" Kirito fell to his knees, and I chuckled, playfully ruffling his hair.

"Kid, get back up. It can't be that much of a loss." He refused to move, on all fours.

"What's wrong?" asked Asuna, and he raised his hand to hush her. He shouted,

"That's right…That's it!" he shouted.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" I asked.

"What did you just figure out?" asked Asuna.

"I…We…never actually saw a thing. We just thought we did. But we really saw something else. There was never a weapon or any kind of logic that would allow killing within the safe areas! They're alive!"

"They're alive?!" asked Asuna.

"Yeah, they're alive. Both Yoruko and Kains."

"But…"

"Inside a safe zone, player HP won't just drop. But an object's durability will. Like with that sandwich." He got off the ground, seating himself back on the bench. "Back then, Kains' armor was pierced by that sword. The sword was draining the armor's durability, not Kains' HP."

"Th-Then, what fell apart was…" said Asuna.

"Yes, just his armor. At the exact moment it did, Kains teleported away. The effect is incredibly similar to that of someone's death. But it's still different."

"Then Yoruko…" said Asuna. I remembered how stiffly she walked the whole time in the inn. She never…

"The dagger was already in her back the entire time," I said. "She never turned her back, not to me, and not when she rose from her chair after the story. While she was talking, she kept an eye on the equipment endurance. And when it was time…she acted like the dagger had just been thrown."

"Which mean the person in the black robe…" mused Asuna.

"I'd lay good odds that it wasn't Grimlock. It's Kains," said Kirito. "The two must have realized that they could use this method to fake their own deaths."

"And their goal was to draw out the one responsible for the ring murder. They acted out their own deaths to create an illusionary avenger," said Asuna.

"They must have already suspected Schmidt," I said. "Right now, he's lost it. He thinks that Griselda's ghost is out to get him. So he'd go where he can make peace with her spirit…" I snapped my fingers. "Floor 19, Cross Hill. Yoruko mentioned they'd built a grave for Griselda there. 1000 Col says that's where he is."

"I say we leave the rest up to them," said Kirito. "Our role in this case is finished."

"In that case, let's go somewhere a bit less public," I said, glancing around. Death, the Black Swordsman, and the vice commander of the KoBO all in the same place was attracting a bit of attention.

(X)

We walked into an empty restaurant, sitting at a table. "We ended up falling for Yoruko's plot…But I really don't mind," said Kirito.

"Yeah," said Asuna. "Hey. What would you have said when a super-rare item like that dropped?"

"Keep it," I said without hesitation.

"Hmm…" hummed Kirito. "Part of the reason I play solo is to avoid those situations."

"In our guild, it would belong to the one it dropped for. That's the rule. In SAO, no one knows what drops for whom unless someone volunteers it. So if you want to avoid players hoarding, that's the only way. Also, because of that system," she glanced at me, "marriage in this world has real meaning. If you marry, your item storage is shared, right?" I nodded, and Kirito glanced at me, wide-eyed.

"You got hitched?" he asked incredulously. I nodded.

"November. We've got a house in Lindas."

"Everything you might have hidden until then…Once your married, you can't hide it anymore. Shared storage is quite a pragmatic system. But I think it's very romantic, as well."

"Hey," Kirito asked.

"What?"

"Have you ever gotten married?" There was a moment, and then Asuna grabbed the fork, pointing it to Kirito as he raised his arms in surrender. "No…That's not what I meant! You were just talking about how it's romantic and plastic…"

"No one said that!" There was a thud as she kicked him under the table. "It's romantic and pragmatic." She set the fork back on the table. "Pragmatic…It means practical."

"Practical? Marriage in SAO?"

"Isn't it? In a way, it throws everything out there, doesn't it? The common storage." My mouth dropped open, and my eyes flicked around as I built up scenarios in my head. 'Oh, I'm a moron.' "What?" Asuna asked.

I jumped to my feet, rubbing my temples. "Oh, I'm such an idiot! My head's so…Thick!"

"What?" Kirito asked.

I glanced at Asuna. "If your spouse dies, their items go to you, right?" She nodded, her eyes widening in recognition. "Griselda dies…"

"And Grimlock gets the ring. So it wasn't stolen?" asked Asuna.

"No. Grimlock stole the ring from his own storage," said Kirito.

(X)

Kirito wrapped his arms around my waist. "Why couldn't I have gotten my own horse?" he asked.

"You're the one who left the stable part of town before I could buy my own, then fell off. Then you _asked_ me to steer. Quit your comp…" I let the sentence trail off as we came upon the scene. Yoruko and a man with a brown bowl cut standing over Schmidt, on his stomach on the ground. Three Laughing Coffin members standing near them, weapons drawn. I drew up my bandanna as Kirito hopped off the back, dashing alongside. He came to stop in front of the scene.

"We've called for re-enforcements," he said loudly to the LC members. "You want to fight thirty players from the lead group?" I rode the horse up closer, drawing my scythe.

"Or even just two?" I asked in my gravelly voice. I leaned over the side of the horse, staring down the scarred PoH, the leader of Laughing Coffin. "I'm up for a one-on-one. Are you?" There was a tense moment, then PoH snapped his fingers, and the others sheathed their weapons.

"We're leaving," said PoH. They stalked off, and Kirito and I watched them go, disappearing into the fog. I hopped off the horse, slapping it's side, and it ran off to despawn.

"I'm glad I could see you again, Yoruko," I said.

"I planned to apologize, once everything was over. But I can't expect you to believe me."

"Oh, no. Giving me your will? Nice touch."

"How did you know those three would attack here?" asked Schmidt.

"We didn't," said Kirito. "Hey, Kains, Yoruko. You asked Grimlock to make those two weapons."

"At first, he didn't seem willing," Yoruko said. "He said he wanted to let Griselda rest in peace…"

"But when we begged him," Kains said, "he finally forged them for us."

"I'm sorry, but the reason he opposed your plan wasn't for Griselda's sake. He thought something flashy, like a PK in a safe zone, would attract sufficient attention for someone to take notice…I only realized it thirty minutes ago."

After explaining, Kains mused aloud. "Grimlock? He sent that memo, and he killed Griselda?"

"No," I said. "If he'd done it, he would have been yellow when you went to get the weapons."

"He likely left the actual murder to a red player specializing in such things," Kirito said.

"No..." muttered Yoruko. "If he were the murderer, then why would he have helped us?"

"Didn't you explain the whole plan to him?" Kirito asked.

"This was his chance to bury the whole incident forever," I said.

"He waited for you three to gather, so he could kill you all at once," continued Kirito.

"So that's why..." muttered Schmidt. "That's why that murder guild was here."

"Most likely," I said, "he knew them from when he hired them to kill Griselda."

"That's horrible," said Yoruko.

"I found him," said Asuna.

She'd bought her own horse back at town, but split off a while back to search for Grimlock. And she'd found him. She came out of the fog, escorting a man in a white shirt, sunglasses, a trench coat, and a wide-brimmed hat. "We can ask him for the details," I said, crossing my arms.

"It's been a long time, everyone," Grimlock said.

"Grimlock..." muttered Yoruko. "Did you...Did you really...Why, Grimlock?! Why did you need the money from the ring so badly that you had to kill Griselda, your own wife?"

"Money?" he asked. "Did you say money?" He began to laugh, a deep, throaty chuckle that made my blood boil. "It wasn't for money. I had...I had to kill her...While she was still my wife. She was my wife in the real world, too. The ideal wife, the perfect wife...Pretty, submissive...We'd never had a single fight. But when we were both trapped in this world, she changed. Only one of us was overcome with fear from being trapped in a death game...me. She looked so much happier, so much more alive, than she had in the real world. I had to accept it...That the Yuuko I loved was gone. Thus...Thus, I decided to forever seal her within my memories here, in this world, where murder is legal...And who could blame me?"

"You killed your wife for that?" I fumed.

"That's more than reason enough," he replied. "Someday, you'll understand, detectives. Once you've found love and you're about to lose it."

"No, you're mistaken, Grimlock," said Asuna, sheathing her sword and leaving his side. "You didn't feel any love for Griselda. You only wanted to possess her!" Grimlock stiffened and fell to his knees. The other three members of Golden Apple stood, walking over to him.

"Could you three leave this man to us?" asked Kains.

"All right," said Kirito. They stooped, dragging Grimlock to his feet. The men dragged him off as Yoruko bowed to us, which we returned.

The sun rose behind us, bathing the foggy sky in a pink glow. I walked up to the tree that marked Griselda's grave. "I'm sorry," I muttered, patting the bark of the tree. I opened my menu, returning Yoruko's deceased status in my memo to living. I heard Asuna speak behind me.

"Hey," she said to Kirito. "If you married someone, and then you discovered they had a side you didn't know, what would you think?"

"Maybe that I was lucky..." he mused. "B-because if you marry someone, it means you already like what you knew about them, right? So if you found something new about them and fell in love with them, too...W-wouldn't that be great?"

"Well, fine," Asuna replied. "More importantly, I'm hungry. I didn't get to finish my meal earlier."

"Y-Yeah," Kirito replied.

"I'm heading home," I said, walking between and ahead of the two to walk back to town, the teleport gate, and eventually...Lisbeth.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Authors Note: Hey guys…It's been a while. Like I said in the last Author's Note, my computer started hating me, but I think I've fixed the problem, so my writing might speed back up. Anyway, this is a relatively short chapter, just because I needed some cool stuff to fill in the gaps 'till the next story bit. Also, when this story is done (which is a LONG time away, but it will eventually happen) I will be doing a poll, so you guys can vote on which story I should start next, from my small cache of half-started stories.**

May 13th 2024

I sprinted hard through the city, dodging crowds that aimlessly walked around. After nearly catching my scythe on a bench, I opened my menu, dissolving the weapon as I kept running. 'I have to make it,' I thought as I felt the weight disappear from my back. 'He wouldn't really…' I shook my head. 'His wife died. I can't hope to predict what he'd do.'

A man named Alex had witnessed his wife's death at the hand of the floor 62 mini-boss. He'd teleported back to town immediately, and I'd done so after the battle. I heard that he was lurking around the edge of the floor. If he was planning to jump, I had to talk him out of it…or, at least, take his will.

I skidded to a stop, my eyes flicking around the deserted park, searching for his mass of black hair. I saw him leaning over a bench near the edge, and took a few steps closer, stopping about a meter away. "Alex?" I said tentatively. He didn't respond. "Alex. Can you please step away from the edge?" He still didn't respond. I took a step towards him and he finally turned, brandishing his trademark foot and a half long dagger.

"Keep away!" he shouted, lunging at me, a wild look in his eyes. I sidestepped the stab, grabbing his wrist to keep the blade away from me. It was a safe zone, but there was a fair chance that the knock back effect might glitch and sent me off the edge. "Leave me alone!"

"I just want to talk, Alex. That's all." He released the dagger, and I dropped his wrist. He clutched his head, sitting down at the bench.

"Why can't you people leave me alone?"

"I'm the only one here, Alex," I said, sitting down next to him, staying on the other side of the bench. "I just want to know how you're doing."

"My wife died!" he shouted.

"I know," I said quietly. "That's why I'm here."

"She…She was all I had…"

"I'm not going to pretend I know what you're going through. But if you just-."

"NO!" He shouted this, slamming his hands onto the bench. "She! Was all! I had!"

"Alex, I need you to calm down."

"What do you know?! You're just…A monster!" I flinched. People usually regressed to their base senses when they're in panic or grief, and all he could see was a demon. Taking a shaky breath as I dragged the hood off my head.

"Look at me. I'm just a guy." He turned to look at me, his eyes still wide with fear. "I have a family in the real world, and a wife in this one that I love very much. If I lost her, you and I would be in very similar situations."

"But you haven't," he said, his eyes flicking back to the ground.

"That's not the point-."

"No! You still have her! You still have a family! I HAVE NOTHING LEFT!" He leapt forward to his feet, launching himself off the edge. I'd expected this when he started shouting, and ran after him, grabbing his ankle before it slipped over the edge. He shook with a sob, his head rising up to look me in the eye. His face twisted in anger and desperation as he shouted. "Why can't you let me die?!"

His words struck me. I felt that I had to save him, simply because he was a person who I thought really wanted to live, and would realize this once he calmed down. But…This guy had nothing left. He had no family left in the real world, and just watched the woman he loved die. He literally had nothing left to live for, and prolonging his agony…would just be cruel. I did something I never thought I'd have it in me to do.

I dropped him.

His foot slipped through my fingers, and his body rushed through the air. His body flipped, and I saw his face one last time. The guy was falling to his death. Most people, even during suicide, scream, yell, or even flail involuntarily. But this guy was still, the most serene look on his face. His eyes cracked open one last time before he died. They locked with mine. And he smiled…Before exploding into polygons.

Lisbeth's P.O.V.

I was finishing up my last project when I heard the bell ring. It was after hours, so it was either Asuna or Seth. I left the forge, wiping my hands on my apron, and entered the shop. I looked up to see Seth was standing in the middle of the shop, holding himself up on the counter. "Seth?" I asked. "Are you okay?" No response. This wasn't good. "Seth?" I asked again, walking out from behind the counter. "Talk to me, please?"

"Alex is dead," he muttered. I gasped softly. Alex was a good man, and he came in my shop often. We weren't exactly friends, but we knew each other. But that wasn't what was messing him up. This was proved a second later. "He fell off Aincrad."

"He killed himself?" I asked incredulously.

"Jamie died in the mini-boss fight." I lowered my head, clenching my fists. Jamie and I were friends, and knowing I'd never see her smile again hurt deeply.

"Did you get his will?"

"No. He said he had no family left, nothing to pass on."

"That's a first." Suddenly, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me, and tugging me tightly to his chest. He placed his chin on my shoulder, and took a shaky breath. I felt something wet touch my shoulder. 'Is…Is he crying?' Seth never cried. At least, I'd never seen it. Even with the emotion overclock software, that amplified feelings and displayed them on your face, he kept his emotions in line. But this…This had really gotten to him. "That's not all, is it?" I asked softly.

"I dropped him." The words hung in the air for a long, tense moment. "I caught him…and then I dropped him. He…He had nothing left, and I just…" I felt so bad for him. Why did he always have to keep it all inside? 'I'm his wife. He should be able to open up around me.'

"It's okay to cry," I said. Almost immediately, I was released as he collapsed against the counter, letting out sobs. He buried his face in his hands and let out whimpers in between quick raspy breaths. I crouched down next to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, placing my head on his shoulder, and waited for the end as I let my own tears stream down my face.

(X)

Seth's P.O.V.

May 15th 2024

I walked along the path, following close behind the clearing group as we approached the boss room. I tightened my bandanna as Heathcliff gave his motivational speech, and went over strategy one more time. All I heard was, "And the Reaper will keep its agro. Won't you?" he called to the back where I was standing, where I gave a short, curt nod. How the hell was I supposed to keep its agro? Well, that remained to be seen. The doors opened…And revealed the boss.

The boss was a giant orc, but unlike others on this floor who had axes or maces, heavy weapons like that, this one had gloves with blades on the knuckles. Wolverine claws. I ran in, activating disguise and growing to its height. I slashed my scythe across its chest, instantly drawing its attention, before I realized a problem.

A scythe is a long range weapon, lots of sweeping and spinning. If I wanted to keep its agro, I'd need to make lots of quick strikes, something I can't do with a scythe. I'd also need to stay close. If I backed up to use my scythe effectively, I might lose its agro. I can't equip any other items while in Disguise…So I did what anyone would do in my situation. I dropped my scythe and punched that fat bastard in the face.

Sword Art Online has several Martial Arts skills that are all unlocked from the beginning, and get stronger as you level up and use them more. Once, while extremely bored, I spent an entire weekend leveling up the unarmed combat skill, raising it up to where I could do some decent damage. But I didn't need to do damage, I just needed to be fast. And the best part about unarmed skills? There's no cooldown time.

My fist clocked into the orc's face, driving it to the side, and it immediately retaliated with swipes that I ducked under, letting off a few punches into its stomach. It tried to uppercut me, and I stepped back, getting back in the second it was clear. I still couldn't afford to get too far away.

I raised my hands into the martial arts stance that I was most comfortable with, weight on my left foot which was in front, hands loose and at the ready in front of my chest. It punched at me, and I sidestepped, using a two hit skill to knock its head back. It rushed forward, claws outstretched towards my chest. I ducked to the left, rushing forward with a hard punch to the gut. It roared as one of Heathcliff's skills made it's health enter the red. "I'm sorry," my voice boomed around the boss room. I grabbed the side of its head, slamming it into the wall. "I was aiming for your balls." I stepped back, and spun, kicking it in the side of the head. I rushed to the side, scooping up my scythe, and rushing back to the boss.

It was recovering from the quick flurry of strikes, and immediately focused back on me, rushing forward. I spun, driving the blade down straight through the top of its head. The tip of the blade came out of its groin, and the boss shattered into pieces. I turned back to the cheering assault team. "Too bad," I muttered, though it was still broadcast to everyone in the room. "I couldn't think of any more good dick jokes." I shrunk, and allowed myself a public smile before raising the bandanna.


End file.
